Asiago Tortelloni Alfredo with Grilled Chicken Recipe

Make the pasta dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, semolina and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, and olive oil. Whisk in the water.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg mixture.

Use a fork to gradually blend the flour mixture into the egg mixture until you have a shaggy dough.

Dust a clean surface with flour. Dump the dough out onto your workstation and knead the dough until is smooth and springs back to the touch. Cover and let rest for 15-30 minutes.

While your dough rests, make the cheese filling. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone or ricotta until softened and smooth. Fold in the Asiago and mozzarella cheese.

Add the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine and set aside.

Roll out the pasta dough. Sprinkle the work surface with a small amount of flour. Divide the pasta in half. Keep the portion of the unused dough covered to prevent it from drying out. Roll the pasta into ⅛-inch sheets using a pasta machine or rolling pin.

Cut the sheets of pasta into 2½-3 inch rounds using a cookie cutter, jar or wide-rimmed glass.

Lay the pasta rounds on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Cover the tray with a clean towel to prevent them from drying out. 

Form tortelloni. Place one heaping teaspoon of the cheese filling into the center of each pasta round. 

Fold the pasta round in half to create a semi-circle and press around the filling to seal. if the dough is dry, you can use very lightly wetted fingertips to seal the pasta. 

Bend the tortelloni around your finger with one corner slightly overlapping the other and press to seal. The tortelloni will look like a crown.

Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the tortelloni in a single layer without overlapping and cover with another clean towel.

Prepare the chicken breast. Butterfly the chicken breast by slicing each breast lengthwise, being sure not to slice all the way through. 

Open the chicken like a book and pound with your fist or a meat mallet until they are ½-inch thick.

Drizzle each side with olive oil, and the juice of the lemons (reserve the lemon zest for sauce). Sprinkle the salt and chili flakes evenly over the chicken breast.

Preheat your grill to high and allow it to warm for at least 10 minutes. While your grill heats, prepare the ingredients for the alfredo sauce and bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil for the pasta. (See notes 1.)

Place chicken on the grill, directly over high heat, cooking for 3 minutes with the lid closed. Flip the chicken and grill for ab additional 2-4 minutes. The chicken is done when the internal temperature is at least 165°F. Remove chicken from grill and keep warm while it rests.

Make the alfredo sauce. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until caramelized, about 2 minutes.

Add the butter and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 2-5 minutes, until it slightly thickens. Whisk in the Italian seasoning, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt. 

Whisk in the Parmesan and Asiago cheese. Remove the pot from heat and stir until the cheese has melted. Keep warm.

Cook the pasta. Bring your salted pot of water back to a boil. Cook pasta for 4-6 minutes until al dente. Usually, the tortelloni will float to the surface when finished. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dry pasta. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Do not overcook the pasta.

Assemble the asiago tortelloni alfredo with grilled chicken. Slice the grilled chicken against the grain.

Toss the pasta in the alfredo sauce and place on a warm plate.

Top the pasta with the sliced chicken and drizzle with additional alfredo sauce.

Garnish with more grated cheese, as desired. Enjoy!