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CrockPot Chicken Tortellini

CrockPot Chicken Tortellini

This CrockPot Chicken Tortellini is a comforting and easy-to-make dish, perfect for a chilly evening. The slow cooker does most of the work, creating tender, shreddable chicken in a rich marinara sauce. With the addition of cheese tortellini, cream, and spinach at the end, it becomes a complete and luxurious one-pot meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • Olive oil spray
  • 1 ½ lbs chicken breast (about 4 medium breasts)
  • 2 cups marinara sauce (use your favorite jarred brand)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion granules
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, for a little heat)
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 lb cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups baby spinach, fresh
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Equipment

  • slow cooker
  • Cutting board
  • Forks

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Prepare the Slow Cooker: Give the inside of your slow cooker a quick spray with olive oil. This little step makes cleanup so much easier later on.
  2. Layer the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a single layer at the bottom of the crockpot. This ensures they cook evenly.
  3. Add Sauce and Spices: Pour the marinara sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion granules, Italian seasoning, paprika, and red chili flakes (if you're using them) evenly over the sauce. Pour the chicken broth around the edges.
  4. Cook the Chicken: Cover the slow cooker and set it to cook on LOW for 4 hours. You can also cook it on HIGH for 2-2.5 hours, but I find the low setting makes the chicken more tender.
  5. Shred the Chicken: Once the chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat. It should fall apart very easily.
  6. Return to the Pot: Put the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and give it a good stir to combine it with the sauce.
  7. Add the Good Stuff: Now, add the cheese tortellini, shredded mozzarella, and heavy cream. Stir everything together until the tortellini are fully coated in the sauce.
  8. Cook the Tortellini: Cover the pot again and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes. This is just enough time for the tortellini to become tender and for the cheese to get melty and delicious.
  9. Wilt the Spinach: Stir in the fresh baby spinach. It will look like a lot at first, but it wilts down in about 10 minutes. Just put the lid back on and let the residual heat do the work.
  10. Finishing Touches: Finally, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Give it a taste and add any salt or pepper you think it needs. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

To prevent mushy pasta, add the tortellini right at the end for the last 30 minutes of cooking. For easy shredding, you can use a hand mixer on the cooked chicken breasts. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid for the last 15 minutes to let it thicken. Chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken can be used as substitutes.