​Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini

​Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

One pot meals are a really easy way to make a home-cooked meal after a long day instead of heading for the takeout menu. And while I think pasta is a great go-to dish for a busy weeknight, it can be sort of boring. Not here! This Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini combines all the convenience of a one pot meal with the added bonus of spicy buffalo chicken flavor, cheesy pasta, and a hearty topping of shredded cheddar cheese for a double dose of cheesy goodness. It’s like a delicious creamy buffalo chicken mac and cheese, just a little fancier. Toss everything together in a large skillet and you can have the ultimate comfort food meal in just under 30 minutes. If you’re looking for something a little different to serve up, Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini is also a great game day treat or potluck dish. 

Some of the best features of this recipe:

So easy: Use rotisserie chicken and bottled buffalo wing sauce to make an easy meal even easier.

Fast: Refrigerated five cheese tortellini cooks in just four minutes!

​One pot: Everything comes together in one large skillet, no extra pans, no heating your oven.

Cheese – lots of it: Toss the buffalo chicken and cooked tortellini with shredded cheddar for a delicious cheesy sauce. Grate your own cheese or use pre-shredded. Did I mention that you should make things easy on yourself?

Speaking of sauce, this one is thickened with an easy roux. Not up on your roux skills? I have a great post explaining it here. 

As with all of my recipes, Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini is super easy with no complex cooking skills, no special equipment, and with simple ingredients easily found in any grocery store.

Recipe Ingredients

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

2/3 cup buffalo wing sauce

​1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

​3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

20 oz refrigerated tortellini

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Helpful Tools

• ​Large bowl
• ​Liquid measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Large skillet
• ​Whisk
• Wooden spoon or heat resistant rubber spatula

Ingredient Notes

My very long experience cooking has taught me that taking some shortcuts doesn’t necessarily mean your meal won’t be great. Can you grate your own cheese? Sure. And technically pre-shredded cheeses don’t melt as well, but I don’t think you will ever notice. Can you make your own buffalo sauce? Of course! And I applaud you for showing the initiative, but the bottled stuff (I keep a giant jug of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce in my fridge) provides great flavor. As for the chicken, sure, you can poach some boneless chicken breasts but you will be making another pan dirty and add about twenty minutes. That said, if you don’t have access to a rotisserie chicken, check out the Tips & Tricks, below, for directions.

I use 2/3 cup of buffalo sauce in this recipe. If you want something a little spicier, you can add a bit more or use a more powerful store-bought sauce. Avoid adding too much liquid because you want to maintain a creamy sauce consistency. You can also cut the amount a bit.

I love cheddar cheese in this recipe, but you can try out a different kind of cheese.  Monterey Jack cheese also works great and a mix of cheddar and Parmesan would also be delicious.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Shred about two cups of breast meat from the rotisserie chicken and place in a large bowl. You can use two forks or your hands (my personal preference). 

2. Pour 2/3 cup of bottled buffalo sauce over the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Chop 1/2 a medium yellow onion.

4. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.

5. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. If the onion starts to brown too quickly, reduce the temperature to medium heat. 

6. While the onions are cooking measure out two cups of low sodium chicken broth.

7. Make your roux. Melt butter in the same pan with the onions.

8. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and onions, whisking constantly. NOTE: It is very easy to burn the flour, so be sure to keep whisking and lower the temperature if necessary.

9. Once the flour and butter are thoroughly combined, pour the chicken broth in in a steady stream. Whisk the mixture together until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

 10. Add the tortellini and cook at a vigorous simmer according to the package directions, usually 4 minutes. 

11. As the tortellini comes to the end of the cooking time, stir in the chicken tossed with buffalo sauce.

12. Top with the shredded cheese and stir to combine. Be sure to toss up from the bottom so everything is evenly covered in sauce.

13. Cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the chicken heated through, about 3-4 minutes. 

Check out the Best One Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Tortellini recipe card for the full recipe and step-by-step instructions.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

To heat up leftovers, place them in a large saucepan and warm over medium heat. If you find the sauce to be too thick, you can add a splash of chicken broth and a little extra hot sauce. Start adding the liquids in small amounts. You can always add more if necessary.

Tips & Tricks

Not sure what a “roux” means? Check out this post, complete with video! It is super easy and a necessary part of thickening sauces, soups, and stews.

If your grocery store doesn’t have rotisserie chicken – well, why? – but you can fairly easily make your own. Use poached boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Add the chicken breasts to a large skillet and cover them with cold water. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook 18-23 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken cool and then shred it with two forks. 

One pan recipes? Rotisserie chicken recipes? I have SO many! 

Best Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sheet Pan Quesadillas

Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Nachos

Layered Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

Ultimate Creamy Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

One Pot Tortellini Soup with Chicken