Warm Chicken Tortellini Au Gratin

I got the vaccine. First dose. Pfizer. I stood in line at Providence in the hallway where I walk to my ER shifts, the same building where I've held the hands of COVID patients, and I rolled up my sleeve and the pharmacist said, "Small pinch," and the needle went in and I started crying. Not sobbing — the quiet crying, the tears that come without permission, the physiological expression of a hope so large it can't be contained in a body that has been containing fear for eleven months.

I posted a photo on the blog: my arm with the bandage, my face exhausted above the mask, a bowl of sinigang in the background because I'd made it the night before. The post said: "I got the vaccine today. I am tired. I am hopeful. The sinigang is sour. The hope is cautious. Both are real." Twelve thousand views. The most-read post since the moose adobo viral spike. The comments were a flood — healthcare workers sharing their own vaccination moments, patients asking questions, parents worried about their elderly family members. I answered every comment. The answering was triage. The screen was the desk. The comments were the patients.

Lourdes called that evening. "How do you feel?" "Tired. Arm is sore." "That's all?" "That's all." Long pause. "Maybe I'll get it." The maybe from Lourdes was a continent shifting. The maybe was everything. The maybe meant the fear was losing. The maybe meant the information was winning. The maybe meant my mother might let me protect her, might let the science protect her, might accept that the daughter who is an ER nurse during a pandemic might know something about medicine.

I made adobo. The celebration adobo. The garlic was excessive. The vinegar was aggressive. The chicken browned perfectly. I ate it at the table, arm sore, eyes still damp, the adobo the same as it was in March 2016 and the world completely different and the me completely different and the adobo unchanged because the adobo is the constant and the constant is the holding and the holding is what I need tonight.

The adobo was the right call that night—it always is—but when I want to carry that same feeling of warmth and excess into a meal I can share with someone else, this Warm Chicken Tortellini Au Gratin is where I land. It has the same logic as adobo: you start with chicken, you build something richer than the sum of its parts, and you pull it out of the oven golden and bubbling and impossible to be sad in front of. I made this version the following weekend when Lourdes finally said yes, and we ate it at the table together, and the “maybe” had become something real.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Cook the tortellini. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to package directions until just al dente—do not overcook, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
Build the sauce. In a large oven-safe skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux.
Add the liquids. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Combine. Add the cooked tortellini and shredded chicken to the sauce and fold gently to coat. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer.
Top and bake. Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the top, then finish with the Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling at the edges, and golden in spots.
Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and bring it to the table warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Warm Chicken Tortellini Au Gratin — The Dish for When the Hard Part Is Finally Over