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When my husband Jack and I go out to eat, we love to try new dishes! In addition to just enjoying great food – restaurant dining is also a great source of inspiration for us as food bloggers, and we sometimes turn that inspiration into recipes we share here on A Family Feast!
But other times – depending on the restaurant – I’ll order the same dish, time after time! For example, we eat out at Bertucci’s on occasion and I almost always order their Baked Tortellini with Chicken Gratinati! So – knowing how much I love that dish – Jack set out to make it for me at home (sweet guy that he is!), and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that his version is EVEN BETTER than the version I get at Bertucci’s!
This baked tortellini with chicken gratinati is actually a very simple dish to make! Just pre-cook some frozen tri-color tortellini, and some bite-sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast and then layer it into individual, oven-safe gratin or crème brulee dishes along with some diced tomatoes and a flavorful, cheesy white alfredo sauce. Because we don’t have a wood-fire oven like the restaurant, we also added bacon to our dish – and while it’s a departure from the original recipe, it adds fantastic, smoky flavor that totally makes this dish!
While this isn’t an exact copycat recipe for Bertucci’s baked tortellini with chicken gratinati – if you enjoy that dish at the restaurant, we predict you’ll love this home version even more!
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Baked Tortellini with Chicken Gratinati
Ingredients
- 1 14.5–ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 pound of sliced bacon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano, divided
- 6 ounces shredded fontina cheese, divided
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast ,cut into bite sized pieces
- 13-ounce bag frozen tri-colored tortellini
Instructions
- Place tomatoes into a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cut bacon strips into bite sized pieces and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
- In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Cook for four minutes stirring often. While this is cooking, heat cream to hot but not scaled either in a small sauce pan or in the microwave.
- Add the hot cream to the butter and flour mixture one third at a time whisking on each third to form a smooth sauce. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, 3 ounces of the fontina cheese, fresh basil and minced garlic. Stir to combine, heat to hot and remove from heat. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large saute pan over medium high, heat two tablespoons of bacon fat and cook chicken for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Should be slightly under-cooked as it will cook further in the oven. Remove cooked chicken to a dish or plate.
- Boil a pot of water and cook tortellini according to package instructions but remove from the water before the tortellini is fully cooked, as it will cook further in the oven.
- Depending on the size of your dishes, arrange four to six oven-safe, wide flat gratin-crème brulee dishes
on a parchment-lined sheet pan and spray each dish lightly with pan spray.
- Spoon about two tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of each dish and spread to cover bottoms.
- Divide the cooked tortellini, cooked chicken, cooked bacon and the drained diced tomatoes among the individual dishes.
- Pour the sauce over each filled dish, dividing evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Fontina over the tops of the six dishes.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are browned and bubbly.
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Notes
You will need 4-6 oven-safe gratin or crème brulee dishes to prepare this recipe.
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Is it ok to make ahead and bake it the next day?
Hi Donna – This is probably a dish that’s best freshly made or baked according to directions and then reheated through. I’d be worried that the partially cooked pasta would absorb the sauce as it sits and cools overnight and by the time you bake it, it might end up dry. The alternative is that you could make the components separately and chill overnight, then assemble the day you plan to bake it. (That might work.) Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I thought so too…and I was a little worried about leaving the not-altogether-cooked chicken mixed with everything else, overnight.
I have to tell you though, I make this so often when I have company (though never a day ahead of time) because it’s sooo delicious and decadent, everyone always loves it. I’ve only ever made it in a 9×13 and it always turns out awesome.
Thanks again! d.
You’re very welcome Donna! So glad to hear the recipe is a hit! (It’s one of my favorite dishes too!)
Is this truly 1 1/2 cups of chopped basil? Could I substitute dried basil and if so do you know how much?
Hi Rebecca – The general rule of thumb is to use half the amount of dried herbs when substituting for fresh. You can start with less if you are concerned about the amount we included and add more to suit your tastes.
I like it!
Thanks George!
This dish is from the hands of the food god supreme himself. Extremely flavorful and enjoyable, my new favorite dish. The magic of baking this dish to finish it allows all the flavors to blend but yet stand alone at the same time. Easy to cook but it tastes soooo complex. Speechless….. now I’m going to lay down with my food baby, in the lazy boy and probably fall asleep
LOL – Wow Doug! Thank you so much! We’re so glad you enjoyed the dish!
Gawd! All I can say is I have to make this and soon. Martha—could you do this with shrimp or lobster perhaps? Just love your recipes and your site!
Thanks so much Doris! You can definitely swap in shrimp or lobster (great idea!). Both the shrimp and lobster will cook further in the oven as the gratinati bakes so I’d suggest just slightly undercooking the seafood before you mix it in so it doesn’t become rubbery after spending some time in the oven with the pasta, etc. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
It looks delicious, your version. Thanks.
Thanks Ana Maria!