Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Tortellini is warm, comfort food at it’s finest. This easy, crockpot recipe will quickly become a favorite family dinner!
I try to make a slow cooker meal for my family at least once a week but I seem to get stuck making the same meals over and over again.
But this time, when I put frozen chicken breasts in my crockpot I looked in the fridge, spotted Alfredo sauce and decided to add that instead of cream soup.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the chicken Alfredo but figured I could serve it over noodles, rice or potatoes.
Later in the day, I remembered that I had a package of refrigerated three cheese tortellini, so we ended up with the slow cooker chicken Alfredo tortellini and loved it.
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How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
Step One
Start by placing four frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs) in a 6-quart crockpot.
Step Two:
Add 2 1/2 cups of warm Alfredo sauce.
Cook on high for 6-8 hours, until fully cooked.
Step Three
Tear or cut the chicken into pieces.
I usually leave the chicken in the crockpot and use two forks to tear the chicken.
You can remove the chicken, place it on a cutting board and use forks or a knife to cut it into smaller pieces.
Step Four
Add an additional cup of Alfredo sauce, minced garlic, black pepper and refrigerated three cheese tortellini similar to this.
Replace the cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.
After taking his first bite, my husband remarked that he’s not usually a big fan of chicken with pasta but that this stuff is really, really good!
My son was planning to have something else for dinner (yes, they are both picky eaters) but decided to try a bite after noticing how delicious it smelled.
He told me that he changed his mind and was actually going to have the chicken alfredo tortellini instead. The ladies of the family love it immediately, of course!
Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Tortellini Recipe FAQs
1) My frozen chicken breasts are stuck together. Does that matter?
If your chicken breasts are stuck together like mine were, separate them after a couple of hours of cooking.
2) Questions regarding cooking time: Each crockpot and slow cooker is different. The chicken in this recipe will take as long to cook as it does in other slow cooker chicken recipes you’ve made. If you are new to crock pot cooking, I would suggest checking your chicken periodically so that it doesn’t overcook.
3) If you prefer, you can use thawed chicken breasts for this recipe. Cook it on low for 4-6 hours, depending on your slow cooker, until fully cooked.
4) Questions regarding cooking frozen meat in a crockpot: According to the Crockpot manual, on page 12, you can cook frozen meat in your slow cooker, as long as you add a warm liquid when you start cooking the meat. Here is a link to the manual.
5) Can I use frozen or dried cheese tortellini instead? If you can’t find refrigerated three cheese tortellini in your area, you can partially cook frozen or dried tortellini and let it finish cooking in the slow cooker. Or you can fully cook your tortellini and stir it in before serving.
6) What kind of alfredo sauce should I use? Use the best alfredo sauce you can. I either buy the refrigerated alfredo sauce or make homemade alfredo sauce (see the alfredo sauce portion of this recipe). Alfredo sauce in a jar works too in a pinch.
Need more slow cooker recipes to try? Check these out:
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches from The Gunny Sack:
This Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches recipe features chewy French rolls filled with tender juicy, shredded roast and are dipped into the pot roast au jus.
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef from The Recipe Critic: Beef that slow cooks to tender melt in your mouth perfection. This takes minutes to throw into the crockpot and has such amazing flavor!
Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken from The Gunny Sack: Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken is a Crock Pot recipe that’s easy to make, cheaper than takeout and tastes better too! It’s a family-friendly recipe that will become a favorite.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken from Dinner, Then Dessert: Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken made with just five ingredients, you can set it in the morning in just minutes and have the perfect weeknight meal!
Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs from The Gunny Sack: This Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs recipe is so easy to make and only requires three ingredients. The result is fork-tender, delicious BBQ ribs!
Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (or use thawed chicken breasts, if preferred)
- 3 ½ cups alfredo sauce divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- Garnish: black pepper and parsley
Instructions
- Place the frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot. Add 2 1/2 cups of warm Alfredo sauce.
- Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours, until fully cooked. Separate frozen chicken breasts that are stuck together after a couple of hours of cooking, if necessary. (If using thawed chicken breasts, cook on low for 4-6 hours)
- Tear or cut the chicken into pieces.
- Add 1 cup Alfredo sauce, minced garlic, black pepper and refrigerated three cheese tortellini. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes until tender and heated through.
- Garnish with black pepper and parsley.
Ja G says
Can I use frozen tortellini?
Tonia says
Yes, but for frozen tortellini, you’ll want to partially cook it in boiling water, following the instructions on your package, before adding it to the slow cooker. It will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
Gabriel Flam says
Not enough pasta and too much chicken in recipe.
Jen says
I just found this recipe yesterday and made it today. My husband and I both love spinach in pasta recipes, so I added a big bag of fresh spinach at the beginning so it would cook down. This was SO easy and SO good!! Thank you!!!!
Faith Rose says
Made this for the first time and used 2 jars of Alfredo sauce…the sauce was soaked up, was it supposed to do that? What would be recommended to do to have more sauce? What do you recommend to serve with this dish?
Thank You
Tonia says
Hi Faith Rose,
You could add some chicken broth right at the beginning when you put the chicken in the crockpot. Or you could buy another jar of alfredo sauce and add as much as your family likes at the end when you add the tortellini. I like to serve it with a veggie salad and garlic toast.
Warmly,
~Tonia
Melissa Hutchens says
This was soooo good! My husband and visiting young boy loved this. All 3 of us got seconds!
Summer says
Could I make this with homemade Alfredo sauce? The jars and cans just never taste right to me?
Tonia says
Hi Summer,
I’ve never tried making it with homemade Alfredo so I’m guessing it will work. Let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
~Tonia
Cindy says
I made this for dinner tonight, it was Great! It’s a nice alternative to fettuccine alfredo with chicken. I plan to add this into the dinner rotation. Thanks for the great recipe Tonia!
Linda P. says
Delicious!!!! Never tried tortellini before and my daughter suggested that we try this recipe. Now my family is hooked. Thank You
Patricia says
Could I freeze this??? Or would the Alfredo sauce & tortellini get weird?
I typically freeze all my crockpot meals in ziplock bags.
Tonia says
Are you wondering if you prep the meal and freeze it to cook later? I’m not sure that would work with this recipe since the tortellini gets added during the last 15 minutes.
Natalie says
Hello. Due to the current circumstances, I’m having a hard time finding chicken breasts. I am wondering has anyone tried this with the bagged frozen chicken breasts? And if so, are there any adjustments? Thanks
Tonia says
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out to me. Yes, I used frozen chicken breasts to make this recipe. In the Crock-Pot manual, they recommend you start with warm liquid when using frozen meat (https://www.thegunnysack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/4-7Qt-Manual-Cook-Carry-SlowCooker-IB.pdf). Therefore, this recipe instructs you add use warm alfredo sauce to the slow cooker.
Happy Cooking,
~Tonia
Sandy says
I used a rotisserie chicken shredded. Quick and do good. Just added chicken broth to account for not cooking my own chicken
Heather Peters says
This was perfection! My alway picky daughter who doesn’t like “meat” didn’t even notice the chicken. The flavor was amazing cooked in a crockpot! We usually just bake tortellini and have chicken on the side. I used 1 jar or Bertolli Alfredo with about a quarter cup of water! Thank you!
Tonia says
Fantastic! Thanks for coming back to let us know. This continues to be one of my family’s favorites as well.
Heather Peters says
This was perfection! My alway picky daughter who doesn’t like “meat” didn’t even notice the chicken. The flavor was amazing cooked in a crockpot! We usually just bake tortellini and have chicken on the side. I used 1 jar or Bertolli Alfredo with about a quarter cup of water! Thank you!
Becca says
So, I decided to have some fun with this recipe. When I added the Alfredo I also threw in a package of sliced portobello mushrooms. And when I added the tortellini I added a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. The result was absolute heaven! The leftovers were a little bit thick, so I added just a tad more Alfredo sauce when reheating and it was amazing! I’m making this dish again tonight and adding some garlic bread as a side.
Side note: I used thawed chicken and cooked everything on low until I added the tortellini.
Becca says
So, I decided to have some fun with this recipe. When I added the Alfredo I also threw in a package of sliced portobello mushrooms. And when I added the tortellini I added a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. The result was absolute heaven! The leftovers were a little bit thick, so I added just a tad more Alfredo sauce when reheating and it was amazing! I’m making this dish again tonight and adding some garlic bread as a side.
Side note: I used thawed chicken and cooked everything on low until I added the tortellini.
Debra says
2 years later, I know. But yes that’s exactly what I did and the whole thing turned out great! My husband loves it,so I’ll make it again for sure 🙂
Debra says
I realize that most all the comments I read are at least 2 years old,but I just want to say, I made this last week and my husband is still talking about how much he liked it. I will definitely make it again soon.
I cooked it on high for 6 hours,my chicken was perfect and my sauce was barely brown on the edges. And my slow cooker cooks fast and hot.
I used frozen tortellini, I just put it in the fridge the same time I put the chicken in the pot. When it was time it was perfect and “refrigerated”lol. The whole meal was great!
Debra says
I realize that most all the comments I read are at least 2 years old,but I just want to say, I made this last week and my husband is still talking about how much he liked it. I will definitely make it again soon.
I cooked it on high for 6 hours,my chicken was perfect and my sauce was barely brown on the edges. And my slow cooker cooks fast and hot.
I used frozen tortellini, I just put it in the fridge the same time I put the chicken in the pot. When it was time it was perfect and “refrigerated”lol. The whole meal was great!