Eleven ingredients and thirty-five minutes, with one pot for the pasta and one skillet for everything else.
The chicken comes out of the pan once it is seared and goes back in only at the end, with the tortellini.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cutting the chicken into one-inch pieces lets every piece take a seared, seasoned edge.
- Searing hot and fast browns the Cajun seasoning without burning it.
- Broth alongside the cream keeps the sauce light rather than heavy.
- Sun-dried tomatoes cooked in the pan add a sweet, savoury depth to the garlic cream.
- A splash of pasta water loosens the sauce so it coats the tortellini evenly.
Ingredient Notes
- Cheese tortellini
- Twelve ounces. Cheese-filled specifically — the filled pasta is part of what makes this recipe its own.
- Chicken breast in 1-inch pieces with Cajun seasoning
- A pound with a teaspoon and a half. Bite-size, so every piece gets a seared, seasoned edge.
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- A third of a cup, chopped. These are the dark red pieces through the sauce.
- Heavy cream and low-sodium chicken broth
- Three quarters of a cup and a third of a cup. The broth is what keeps the sauce light.
How to Make It
Tortellini cooked until just tender, some pasta water kept
Cook cheese tortellini in salted water until just tender; reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and drain.
Chicken seasoned and seared to 165°F, set aside
Season chicken with Cajun seasoning and salt. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high and sear the chicken until browned and 165°F in the thickest pieces; transfer to a plate.
Garlic and sun-dried tomatoes cooked a minute
Lower heat to medium. Cook garlic and sun-dried tomatoes 1 minute.
Cream and broth simmered until lightly thickened
Add cream and broth and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until lightly thickened.
Chicken and tortellini returned, chilli flakes added, tossed
Return chicken and tortellini, add red pepper flakes, and toss until coated. Loosen with a splash of pasta water if needed.
Finished with parsley
Finish with parsley.
A Pot and a Skillet, Joined at the End
Two things set this Cajun chicken pasta apart: FILLED TORTELLINI and SUN-DRIED TOMATO. One track cooks the pasta; the other builds the chicken and the sauce. They meet in the skillet.
In the pasta pot
- Until just tender
12 oz of CHEESE TORTELLINI cooked in SALTED WATER UNTIL JUST TENDER. Cheese-filled tortellini is what this recipe uses. Just tender, because it finishes in the sauce.
- Before draining
1/4 cup of PASTA WATER RESERVED, then drained. That starchy water is what loosens the sauce at the end if it has tightened.
In the skillet
- Medium-high
1 lb of CHICKEN BREAST IN 1-INCH PIECES seasoned with 1 1/2 tsp CAJUN SEASONING and 1/2 tsp FINE SALT and SEARED in 1 tbsp OLIVE OIL UNTIL BROWNED AND 165°F IN THE THICKEST PIECES, then TRANSFERRED TO A PLATE. Check that temperature in those pieces. Bite-size chunks rather than slices.
- Lowered to medium - 1 minute
3 MINCED GARLIC CLOVES and 1/3 cup CHOPPED OIL-PACKED SUN-DRIED TOMATOES. The dark red pieces are SUN-DRIED TOMATO, and they are one of the two things that define the dish.
- 3 to 4 minutes
3/4 cup HEAVY CREAM and 1/3 cup LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH SIMMERED UNTIL LIGHTLY THICKENED. Lightly is the endpoint; the photograph shows a light coat, not an Alfredo.
The toss
The CHICKEN AND TORTELLINI RETURNED to the skillet with 1/4 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES and TOSSED UNTIL COATED, LOOSENED WITH A SPLASH OF PASTA WATER IF NEEDED, then FINISHED WITH 2 tbsp CHOPPED PARSLEY. The chilli flakes go in here rather than earlier so they stay visible as red flecks.
Success Tips
- Don't crowd the chicken; sear it in two batches if the skillet is small.
- Check the thickest pieces with a thermometer before taking them out.
- Keep the reserved pasta water — the sauce thickens as it sits.
Serving Ideas
Four servings of cheese tortellini and seared Cajun chicken pieces in a light garlic cream with sun-dried tomato, red pepper flakes and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different pasta?
Not for this recipe. Cheese-filled tortellini is part of what defines the dish, along with the sun-dried tomatoes.
How do I know the chicken is done?
It should reach 165°F in the thickest pieces. Take it out of the pan once it does; it warms through again in the sauce at the end.
Is the sauce heavy like Alfredo?
No. Broth goes in with the cream, and it simmers only until lightly thickened, so it coats the pasta without being heavy.
