Slow Cooker Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini–tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. This is made in your slow cooker and is a no fuss recipe!
(Get the recipe for INSTANT POT Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini here)
Slow Cooker Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini
Sometimes I get inspiration for new recipes at the grocery store. I saw something in the frozen aisle called creamy basil chicken with tortellini and it sounded so good. I knew that the frozen dinner version would be mediocre at best so I got to work on making a homemade version that would be a dinner delight.
Making this slow cooker creamy basil chicken and tortellini just takes a little bit of work upfront. You just need to cut up your uncooked chicken breasts into cubes so they can cook at the same rate as the tortellini. I like to cut up meat when it is partially frozen. Sometimes I’ll throw thawed meat in the freezer for 10 minutes and then cut it up.
Three reasons you should make this recipe:
- It is family friendly. There is no spiciness. Pasta in a creamy sauce and chicken breasts is a pretty neutral food for most palettes.
- This is pretty much an all in one meal. Serve this with a green salad and dinner is done.
- The combination of the fresh basil and the tomato reminds me of caprese salad…which is delicious. The flavors also remind me of tomato basil parmesan soup.
A few notes about the ingredients:
Tortellini: I used a 19 ounce bag of frozen cheese tortellini. I believe that you could use fresh tortellini, although I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Chicken breasts: I used 2 uncooked chicken breast halves and cut them into bite size pieces. You could also use cooked and cubed chicken or even rotisserie chicken.
Basil: I used the squeeze tube of basil because I like how it can last for a month in my fridge. You can also use chopped fresh basil.
Half and half: half and half is just a product that has half whole milk and half cream. If you want you can use heavy cream instead or even evaporated milk would work fine.
More recipes you’ll love…
Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Chicken Sausage and Mushrooms
Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
What Slow Cooker Did You Use?
To make Slow Cooker Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.* I love this slow cooker (you can see me talking about it in a video here). It cooks low and evenly. I love the medium heat choice because most slow cookers that I’ve seen only have the option of cooking on low or high. If you’re going to buy just one slow cooker, this is the one that I recommend.
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Slow Cooker Creamy Basil Chicken and Tortellini
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2-4 hours on high
- Total Time: 19 minute
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Tender bites of chicken breast and cheesy tortellini are served in a creamy tomato basil sauce. It’s made in your slow cooker and is a no fuss recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds uncooked chicken breasts, cut into bite size cubes
- 1 or 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes (if you want it more saucy use 2 cans)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 (19 oz) bag frozen cheese tortellini
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil or stir-in paste basil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and tortellini to the slow cooker. Stir a bit.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours, or until chicken and tortellini are cooked through. Each slow cooker cooks differently.
- Remove the lid and stir in the half and half, parmesan cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.*
Tortellini: I used a 19 ounce bag of frozen cheese tortellini. I believe that you could use fresh tortellini, although I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Chicken breasts: I used 2 uncooked chicken breast halves and cut them into bite size pieces. You could also use cooked and cubed chicken or even rotisserie chicken.
Basil: I used the squeeze tube of basil because I like how it can last for a month in my fridge. You can also use chopped fresh basil.
Half and half: half and half is just a product that has half whole milk and half cream. If you want you can use heavy cream instead or even evaporated milk would work fine.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Slow Cooker
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup serving
- Calories: 401
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 647 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Protein: 27 g
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
When adding the tomatoes do you drain them or use the the liquid as well?
Don’t drain them 🙂
What a delicious recipe! Can’t wait to make it for the family over here, I’m sure everyone will love it!