Tortellini with creamy lemon sauce and pan-fried chicken

Tortellini with creamy lemon and parmesan sauce and pan-fried chicken.

Tortellini with creamy lemon sauce and pan-fried chicken – a really simple pasta dish full of freshness and flavour. The creamy sauce is made with lemon, white wine, cream and parmesan and tossed with the warm tortellini before the dish is topped with slices of juicy pan-fried chicken and plenty of fresh basil. Creamy, fresh and simply so good.

I start with the chicken. I halve two large chicken breast fillets horizontally, parallel to the board, so I get four thinner, flatter pieces. It’s a method I really like, because the chicken cooks faster and more evenly – which also makes it easier to get a lovely juicy result.

I season the chicken with salt, freshly ground pepper, paprika and dried thyme and sear it quickly in a little oil in a properly hot pan. Once it has a golden crust on both sides, I turn the heat right down and let it finish cooking gently while I make the rest of the dish.

The creamy lemon sauce is very simple. Onion and garlic are softened in a little oil before I pour white wine into the pan and let it reduce a little with freshly grated lemon zest and lemon juice. I finish it with cream and finely grated parmesan.

The lemon really makes all the difference here. It gives the rich, creamy sauce plenty of freshness and acidity, and together with the salty parmesan and the white wine you get a sauce that is full-bodied without feeling heavy. Season generously with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper – it suits the lemon sauce very well.

While the sauce is cooking, I boil the tortellini according to the packet instructions. Save a little of the pasta water before you drain them. The cooked tortellini go straight into the lemon sauce, and the consistency can be adjusted with a splash of pasta water if the sauce has become too thick. It should be soft and creamy and coat the pasta nicely.

Finally, I slice the juicy chicken and arrange it over the tortellini. Top with plenty of fresh basil leaves, a little extra parmesan and another sprinkling of freshly ground pepper, if you like.

If you want to save on the washing up, you can easily make the whole dish in the same pan. Start by frying the chicken, set it aside on a plate and cover it loosely with foil while you make the sauce in the same pan. The chicken doesn’t need to be piping hot when served – and you get all the tasty browned bits from the pan into the sauce too. Win-win.

A really easy, creamy tortellini dish where the lemon adds exactly the freshness that brings it all together. Juicy chicken, creamy parmesan, fresh lemon and basil – a plate like that really delivers.

Tortellini with creamy lemon sauce and pan-fried chicken

Recipe for a creamy lemon and parmesan sauce with tortellini and pan-fried chicken.

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Course: Main course

Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Easy pasta, Tortellini recipes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Change servingsServings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 large chicken breast fillets
• ▢ 1 onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ▢ 100 ml dry white wine
• ▢ 1/2-1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
• ▢ 500 g tortellini
• ▢ 200 ml cream whipping cream (38% fat) or cooking cream
• ▢ 50 g parmesan, finely grated
• ▢ Pasta water
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground pepper
• ▢ Oil
• ▢ Paprika and thyme (optional)
• ▢ Fresh basil, to serve

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Method

• Slice the chicken breast fillets horizontally (parallel to the board) into two thinner pieces – so you have 4 flat fillets. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and, if you like, a few other spices such as paprika and thyme.
• Heat a frying pan and brown the chicken well for a couple of minutes on each side. Then turn down the heat – and let it finish cooking gently over a low heat. This gives you the juiciest piece of chicken.
• Meanwhile, fry the onion and garlic in a splash of oil in another pan until soft and translucent.
• Add the white wine, lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon and let it reduce. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

  At the same time, bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the tortellini according to the packet instructions.
• Pour the cream into the pan, add the parmesan and heat the sauce through thoroughly. Adjust the consistency with a little pasta water if needed. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper – and more lemon juice and zest if you like.
• Toss the tortellini in the sauce in the pan, slice the chicken and lay it on top, then scatter with fresh basil leaves.

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