Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini
Comfort in a bowl — this Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini is it! A hybrid between a soup and a stew, I make this constantly for my family and friends. So easy to get started in the crock pot and have ready when you get home from work or just a busy day. A mainstay when I cook for others because it gets its creaminess from coconut milk instead of heavy cream. There is always a can of coconut milk in my pantry but I don’t always have heavy cream.
This is one of those dishes that doesn’t taste “crock-pot”ish. I LOVE using my crock pot, but to be honest, my family is generally not a fan of crock pot meals. Sounds weird but when my fam sees my crock pot on the counter they pretty much shut down. There is just a mental block there that they are not getting a made-from-scratch meal. Really?? Go figure! They are spoiled! Oh, and I use that crock pot anyway.
Don’t let the seemingly long list of ingredients put you off. It is worth it. There are a good bit of seasonings listed and all meld together nicely to make this a rich and flavorful soup/stew. Use a food processor to chop the veggies fine and if you have a crock pot with a saute function this all comes together even quicker. To me, the dish is more soupy day one and more like a stew the next day.
If you are taking this dish to a loved one, cook the tortellini seperately until just barely done. Then drain, rinse and cool it. Toss with a bit of olive oil and package up in a seperate ziplock bag. This will keep the tortellini from getting mushy.
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped fine
- 2 stalks celery chopped fine
- 3 carrots chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine pinot grigio, etc
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- zest of one lemon
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan can sub asiago or romano
- 1 package cheese tortellini
- handful fresh spinach leaves chopped or torn
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in the bottom of crock pot with saute function or in the bottom of a pan on the stovetop. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, parsley, oregano, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook about 5 minutes to soften. Salt and pepper while cooking. Then add tomato paste and stir to combine. After another minute, add the white wine to thin the sauce a bit.
- If sauteing in a seperate pan, at this point transfer the mixture to your crock pot and add the chicken and chicken broth. Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- The last 15 minutes of cooking, take chicken out of the crock pot. Add coconut milk, lemon zest, parmesan, and tortellini. Stir well as the coconut milk and cheese melts and the tortellini cooks. Meanwhile, shred the chicken and then add back to crock pot.
- To serve, stir in spinach right before ladling into bowls and sprinkle more cheese and some black pepper on top. Enjoy!