Quick Chicken Tortellini Soup

This dreamy chicken tortellini soup with tender chunks of chicken, cheesy tortellini, and rich and creamy broth is quick, easy, and perfect for chilly weeknight meals.

You all keep asking me for easy weeknight meals, and as long as you keep asking, I’ll keep making them. Today’s entry in the quick and easy dinner category is creamy chicken tortellini soup.

This soup cooks in a little over half an hour with minimal fuss or effort and turns out so creamy and satisfying. It’s a total crowd-pleaser for hardly any effort.

Ingredient Notes

• Cooked chicken: This recipe calls for shredded or chopped cooked chicken. You can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken or roast chicken leftovers. But, as always, if you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, no worries. There are instructions in the recipe notes for cooking your own.
• Chicken broth: Homemade chicken stock is *so good* in this soup, but the canned stuff works just fine.
• Tortellini: Fresh, refrigerated tortellini works best for this soup. You can usually find it in the cheese and lunch meat aisle next to the ravioli. It’s typically sold in packages of 9-12 ounces. I recommend using about 9 ounces in this soup, but up to 12 works.
• Heavy cream: A cup of heavy cream in the broth makes this soup extra delicious. You can substitute half and half here, but it won’t add the same richness. If you are watching calories, you can also cut the amount of cream by half. For storage tips and more heavy cream recipes, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream.

How to Make Chicken Tortellini Soup

1. To make the soup, melt the butter in a large pot and cook the onions until they just begin to turn translucent around the edges.
2. Cook the garlic until it begins to turn golden and smells amazing. Watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Add vegetables and chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and then cook for 20 minutes, until the vegetables have begun to soften. If you like your soup veggies quite soft, cook them for 30 minutes.
4. Add the tortellini and spices, and cook until the pasta is al dente. Add your cooked chicken and stir in heavy cream.
5. Check the salt and add pepper to taste. Different brands of chicken broth have different salt levels, so you may need very little or quite a lot. Heat just until chicken is heated through, serve and enjoy.

FAQ

What to serve with chicken tortellini soup?

Serve with a simple roasted vegetable like broccoli or green beans and crusty bread with butter. If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, cheddar scones are ALWAYS a hit when paired with soup.

Can I freeze this soup?

Yes and no. I wouldn’t freeze this soup with the cooked tortellini—they will become bloated and soggy. But uncooked tortellini and the rest of the soup freeze quite well.

1. To freeze, cook the soup without the tortellini, stir in the cream and chicken and then freeze the soup either all together or in single-serving portions. Separately, freeze the uncooked tortellini.
2. When you’re ready to eat, defrost the soup in the refrigerator and then reheat in either the microwave or on the stove.
3. Cook the tortellini separately, and then drain and add them to the heated soup.

See my post How to Freeze Soup for more tips and tricks. 

Can I make this soup ahead of time?

You can, but tortellini will begin to get a little soggy the longer it sits in broth, so for best results, omit the tortellini while cooking. When you’re ready to serve the soup, warm the soup and cook the tortellini separately. Drain and add the tortellini to the soup. Stir and serve.

Can I add spinach?

Yes! If you’d like to add spinach to the soup, toss in a couple handfuls, up to about 2 cups. Add the spinach just before the cream and chicken.

Can I make this without the heavy cream?

You can. The soup won’t be creamy, but it will still be delicious!

More Easy Dinners

• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken Parm Soup
• Salsa Chicken
• Sausage Pasta
• Buttered Noodles
• Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup

Quick Chicken Tortellini Soup

This dreamy chicken tortellini soup with tender chunks of chicken, cheesy tortellini and rich and creamy broth is quick, easy, and perfect for chilly weeknight meals.

4.96 from 25 votes

Print Pin

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 4 to 5 servings

Calories: 462kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken *
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (14g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
• ▢ ½ large onion diced, about ¾ cup
• ▢ 3 large cloves garlic minced or pressed
• ▢ 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
• ▢ 2 celery ribs sliced
• ▢ 6 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 9 ounces (about 2½ cups) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• ▢ ¼ heaping teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ heaping teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until edges begin to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until it just begins to turn golden.
• Add carrots, celery, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add tortellini, oregano, and basil, and cook according to tortellini package instructions, until pasta is just al dente.
• Add shredded or chopped chicken to the pot along with the heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook until chicken is heated through. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*To use uncooked chicken breasts, start with 1 pound of chicken, about 2 medium chicken breasts. While the soup cooks, cook the chicken in a separate pan.  

Generously salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breasts.

Heat a medium skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Grease with cooking spray or a light drizzle of olive oil. Place chicken breasts in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well-browned. Flip chicken and repeat. Once both sides are browned, add about 1/2-inch of filtered water to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pot and turn heat down to medium.

Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breasts reads 165°F (170°F if you’re going to shred the chicken). Check occasionally to make sure the water hasn’t all evaporated, adding more if necessary. Larger breasts will take longer to cook, so be sure to check for doneness before removing from heat.

Transfer chicken to a plate or bowl. Just before adding it to the soup, dice or shred the chicken breast. 

Approximate nutritional information is for 5 servings. 

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