I have been making some variation of this dish since I was in my early twenties in New York City, but this way of cooking chicken actually goes back to my childhood. This is probably one of the first things I ever made before I really learned how to cook much because it was something I remember seeing people do that was quite trendy in the 1980’s.
When I started dating my now husband, he used to give me cheese tortelloni with a sauce that consisted of nothing more than warmed cream and a crack of black pepper. I thought it was heavenly – I had never had tortelloni before and I found myself wanting this indulgent, cheese-filled pasta more and more. Over time I added things to his simple, but delicious recipe and at some point incorporated chicken the way my uncle used to cook it. It’s a perfect match!
We still have this for dinner sometimes and it never disappoints. There’s something romantic about still enjoying the foods we ate together when we first met, all those years ago when we were so much younger, trying our luck in New York City. We’re a fair bit older now, living in London and still enjoying a bowl of pasta topped with chicken on the sofa from time to time. It’s so easy to make this dish – it’s the perfect weeknight recipe when you really can’t be bothered to make much effort and you need something comforting and cheesy to fill your tummy and give you a warm hug. If you want to go above and beyond, I sometimes serve this with some steamed green beans dressed in olive oil and a little garlic salt, but more often than not I don’t even bother if I’m being completely honest. Let’s get started!
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
Ingredients
- 350g chicken mini fillets
- 125ml Italian salad dressing (I use Newman’s Own)
- 200ml double cream
- Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper
- 250g cheese filled tortelloni (I use this one from Sainsbury’s)
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°Fan / 350°F. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish. Pour over the Italian salad dressing and toss the fillets to make sure they’re all coated on every side. Leave the chicken to marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Cover the tray of chicken with aluminum foil and bake covered for about 45 minutes or until it’s cooked through.
- About 10 minutes before the chicken is done you can get on with the rest of the dish. Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta with a little salt and a drop of water.
- In a separate saucepan, heat up the cream gently over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a very generous grinding of black pepper and a pinch of salt for flavour. Cook the cream until it’s getting steamy, but be careful not to let it boil or burn.
- Just before you’re ready to serve, boil your tortelloni according to packet instructions. This is usually no more than 5 minutes.
- Once the chicken is out of the oven and the pasta is fully cooked, add the pasta to a large serving bowl. Pour the cream sauce over the pasta and toss a little to coat. Finally finish with placing the chicken pieces on top and pour over some of the pan juices for a little extra flavour.
- Finish with one more grinding of black pepper and a sprinkle over the top of freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you’re using it. Serve hot.
