Easy Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Creamy chicken tortellini soup is easy to make comforting soup perfect for cold winter nights. Loads of vegetables, juicy shredded chicken, and cheese-stuffed tortellini in a creamy rich savory broth, made in 35 minutes.

Comforting pasta recipes are great for weeknight dinners such as creamy marry-me chicken tortellini, creamy tomato tortellini soup, or baked tortellini with Italian sausage, which are perfect for a busy weeknight and relaxed Sunday lunch with family.

Chicken tortellini soup recipe

Creamy chicken tortellini soup is a step above the classic chicken noodle soup. It’s full of flavors with amazing textures and colors.

The soup is hearty, slightly creamy, and yet lightened up! A delicious comforting soup that your entire family would love. The winning combo is serving crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich along with the soup.

If you already have roasted chicken, this soup comes together quickly and easily. For convenience, you may use store-bought rotisserie chicken (shred) or leftover roasted chicken.

Why you’ll love it

1. This soup is similar to classic chicken noodle soup taken to the next level with pillowy soft cheese stuffed tortellini pasta.
2. Searing chicken breast enhances the flavor and taste of the soup.
3. Hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are used to further enhance the flavor of the soup.
4. This soup ix filling without being too heavy on calories.
5. It’s easy to make one pot of soup that your family will love.
6. You’ll need simple everyday ingredients (it’s easy to find dried tortellini which works great).

Ingredients

• Chicken – use boneless chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also be used.
• Italian seasoning – I used Italian seasoning to season chicken breasts. You may also use salt and pepper to season chicken. Alternatively, use a rotisserie chicken from the store to make the soup, or leftover chicken from another recipe can be used in the soup.
• Olive oil & butter – use good quality olive oil and butter. Used to cook chicken breasts and sauté the aromats.
• Onion, celery, and garlic – tasty aromats. It adds body, flavor, and taste to the soup.
• Carrot – for added nutrients.
• Chicken stock – or can use vegetable stock or beef stock. Bone broth works too. Stock adds rich flavor to the tomato-based broth of the soup.
• Tortellini – I have used dried 3-cheese tortellini pasta. You can use fresh tortellini from the refrigerator section in the supermarket or use frozen tortellini. Cheese tortellini is my favorite and it works well with the tomato-based soup dish, you may also use spinach stuffed tortellini, mushroom stuffed tortellini, or Italian sausage tortellini.
• Hot sauce – does not make the soup spicy. It helps enhance the flavor of the soup. You can use any type of hot sauce – buffalo hot sauce, tabasco hot sauce, or Asian hot sauce like sriracha sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce – added as a flavor enhancer. It’s optional but I highly recommend you don’t skip.
• Salt and pepper – to taste.
• Heavy cream – cream does two things to the soup – adds richness and makes the broth slightly thick.
• Fresh spinach – for added nutrients.
• Parsley – for garnish.

All the ingredient’s exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.

How to make

Season and cook the chicken: season chicken breast with Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or pot. Sear and cook chicken on medium heat until browned and cooked through on both sides.

Remove chicken breasts from the pot and rest it on a plate for a couple of minutes. Then shred the chicken breast.

Make the soup: melt butter in the same pot. Sauté onion and celery until softened.  Then add garlic and sauté for a minute. Sauté carrots in.

Pour chicken broth into the pot.

Wait for the broth to come to a boil. Add in tortellini and cook until pasta is al dente. Follow package instructions for cooking time. If using refrigerator tortellini, you might have to cook for less time. I used the dried tortellini variety and it cooks for 5 minutes.

Add shredded chicken. Add seasoning salt and pepper to taste.

Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream.

Stir and let it heat through.

Stir in the spinach, and wait until the spinach begins to wilt (just cooked). Turn off the heat.

Serve immediately garnished with parsley.

Variations

1. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini to make the soup. Fresh and frozen tortellini is found in the refrigerator aisle and dried tortellini is available at the pasta aisle. Cheese-stuffed tortellini can be replaced with meat-stuffed tortellini pasta.
2. Keep in mind that dried tortellini pasta takes slightly longer to cook than fresh tortellini.
3. Use rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken instead of raw chicken to save time.
4. Replace chicken with Italian sausage. Brown the sausage and crumble it in the pan first, set aside, and add it in the final steps.
5. You may add peas, corn, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms or asparagus tips to the soup to pack more nutrients.
6. Soup can be thickened by adding canned navy beans or canned white beans.
7. Change the flavor of the broth by using white wine in the broth. Add it after sautéing vegetables.
8. Spinach can be substituted with kale.

Tips to make the best creamy chicken tortellini soup

1. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini to make the soup.
2. Do not overcook tortellini pasta. Refrigerated tortellini would require 2-3 minutes, frozen pasta would require 4-5 minutes to cook, and dried tortellini pasta may require 8-10 minutes.
3. If using raw chicken, it’s crucial to sear and brown the chicken first. This will enhance taste and flavor.
4. Use rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken instead of raw chicken to save time on meal prep.
5. Hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are used to further enhance the flavor of the soup. Hot sauce does not make the soup spicy.
6. Do not let the soup boil once cream is added, it will split.
7. Some prefer to serve the soup with Parmesan rind (hard coating outside of the parmesan cheese block. It’s added to deepen the flavor of the soup, it’s discarded when you eat the soup.

How to serve

Tortellini chicken soup is the main dish and it can be served as it is or with any side of your choice.

You can serve it with garlic bread, roasted Brussels sprouts, or roasted broccoli on the side. You can also serve it with tomato bruschetta, creamy polenta, Caesar salad, and Italian sausages.

Serve the soup hot as soon as it’s ready, and add some parmesan rind to the soup to deepen the flavors. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle some red chili flakes on top before serving.

Crumble some Parmesan crisps and serve on top.

This soup is best served as soon as it’s made as tortellini will absorb the broth as it rests.

Storing Info

Store: Although you can store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, this soup is best served as soon as it’s made as tortellini will absorb the broth as it rests. If you still want to store leftovers, I’d remove the tortellini store them separately, and add them to the soup while reheating just before serving.

If you want to go ahead and store the soup, make the soup broth and cook tortellini pasta separately and store it separately. Heat the soup in single servings and add cooked pasta when ready to eat.

Freeze: this soup freezes well. Consider cooking pasta separately and storing it separately. Add it to soup only while reheating when ready to serve.

Cook soup broth and pasta separately and allow it to cool completely. Use heavy-duty freezer bags and pour the cooled soup into the bags leaving some space at the top (liquid will expand when frozen). Carefully close the bag by pushing out excess air in the bag.

Place cooked tortellini in separate bags. Freeze it on a flat baking tray. Once frozen stack it up to save space.

Reheat: thaw frozen soup and tortellini separately overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve reheat in a pot at medium heat until broth is hot. Stir in cooked tortellini and serve immediately.

Common questions

MORE COMFORTING HEARTY SOUPS YOU SHOULD TRY

5 from 1 vote

📋Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Jyothi Rajesh

Creamy chicken tortellini soup is easy to make comforting soup perfect for cold winter nights. Loads of vegetables, juicy shredded chicken, and cheese-stuffed tortellini in a creamy rich savory broth, made in 30 minutes.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 497

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ¼ pounds boneless chicken breasts 2 large breasts
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 ribs celery diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 carrot diced
• ▢ 6 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
• ▢ 10 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini I used dried tortellini
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ Salt & pepper – to taste
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup fresh spinach
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• Season and cook the chicken: season chicken breast with Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or pot. Sear and cook chicken on medium heat until browned and cooked through on both sides.
• Remove chicken breasts from the pot and rest it on a plate for a couple of minutes. Then shred the chicken breast.
• Make the soup: melt butter in the same pot. Saute onion and celery until softened. Then add garlic and sauté for a minute. Saute carrots in.
• Pour chicken broth into the pot. Wait for the broth to come to a boil. Add in tortellini and cook until pasta is al dente. Follow package instructions for cooking time. If using refrigerator tortellini, you might have to cook for less time. I used the dried tortellini variety and it cooks for 5 minutes.
• Add shredded chicken. Add seasoning salt and pepper to taste.
• Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream.
• Stir and let it heat through.
• Stir in the spinach, and wait until the spinach begins to wilt (just cooked). Turn off the heat.
• Serve immediately garnished with parsley.

Notes

1. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini to make the soup.
2. Do not overcook tortellini pasta. Refrigerated tortellini would require 2-3 minutes, frozen pasta would require 4-5 minutes to cook, and dried tortellini pasta may require 8-10 minutes.
3. If using raw chicken, it’s crucial to sear and brown the chicken first. This will enhance taste and flavor.
4. Use rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken instead of raw chicken to save time on meal prep.
5. Hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are used to further enhance the flavor of the soup. Hot sauce does not make the soup spicy.
6. Do not let the soup boil once cream is added, it will split.
7. Some prefer to serve the soup with Parmesan rind (hard coating outside of the parmesan cheese block. It’s added to deepen the flavor of the soup, it’s discarded when you eat the soup.

 

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 34gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 684mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2636IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!