Dijon Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
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This Dijon Chicken Tortellini Alfredo gets lightened up a bit and some added flavor weapons like Dijon mustard and tarragon make this sauce sing. Fresh, crunchy broccoli and a cheese tortellini are tossed with pan seared chopped chicken strips for a quick and delicious dinner.
I felt like an Alfredo sauce for the tortellini the other evening, but didn’t want the entire dish drenched in a thick, heavy sauce.
So I lightened up the sauce by using milk instead of cream and added a French influence to the cheese sauce with Dijon mustard and tarragon.
By adding the broccoli to the boiling water prior to cooking the pasta I was able to quickly blanch them. Gotta make use of your time and stove top real estate.
In went the pasta and it all came together.
I make a quick pan sauce by adding a tablespoon of butter and flour to the pan after cooking the chicken. Cook the flour for 2 minutes on low and then whisk in the milk and Parmesan cheese. Stir until smooth and add your Dijon and tarragon. This sauce is killer.
Into a baking dish go the chopped chicken, cooked tortellini, blanched broccoli and the sauce gets poured over. Toss to coat, bake to warm it all through and serve it up. Dijon Chicken Tortellini Alfredo! Enjoy!
This Dijon Chicken Tortellini Alfredo first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking December 2016 and has been updated with new photos and a video.
Chicken Tortellini Dijon Alfredo
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli chopped
- 20 oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 lb chicken strips or breasts meat
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour separated
- 3 tbsp olive oil separated
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9” baking dish, set aside.
- In a large stock pot to 8 cups boiling, salted water add the broccoli and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Cook pasta per package instructions, set aside, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Cut into 1-inch pieces if using breast meat or leave in strips. Toss with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of flour to coat.
- In same pot over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons oil and sauté the chicken. Turn to brown on all sides. Add more oil if needed. Transfer to a platter and keep warm. Chop strips if needed.
- Add remaining oil and sprinkle in remaining tablespoon of flour. Cook on medium for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock and deglaze the pan by scrapping up bits of browned food on bottom of pan and bring to a boil. Add the reserved pasta water, milk and whisk in cheese. Whisk in the mustard and tarragon, return to simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
- In prepared baking dish add the chopped chicken, tortellini, broccoli and toss to mix together. Pour sauce over all, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes until everything is warmed through and bubbling.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Kevin, this is great! I had leftover chicken, used cheese tortellini from Trader Joes, and added fresh mushrooms. While there were a lot of individual steps to cook the broccoli, pasta, chicken and roux – it was all worth it! Everyone had extra helpings (kids too!) and completely agreed it was a make again dish. My MIL even sopped up the extra sauce with some bread. It will probably seem easier next time around since I know what to expect. Tarragon is an herb I haven’t used a lot of, but really enjoyed in this dish. Thanks!
Thank you, Ashley. I call meals like this a “labor of love”, and they’re usually worth the time invested. I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!