This chicken tortellini soup is a quick and easy one-pot dish that is filled with wholesome ingredients. It is very aromatic, delicious, and healthy!
Chicken tortellini soup is a fun twist on classic chicken soup that tastes absolutely delicious! Plus, it is super simple to prepare which makes it perfect for a fuss-free dinner.
What is chicken tortellini soup?
Chicken tortellini soup is actually very similar to chicken noodle soup. The main difference is that the noodles are substituted with delicious tortellini.
So if you already like chicken noodle soup and tortellini, you are going to love this chicken tortellini soup!
This soup can be made with any kind of tortellini. I love spinach ricotta tortellini. But tortellini filled with cheese or meat work just as great!
Ingredients
To make chicken tortellini soup, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken drumsticks: I recommend using chicken drumsticks to make chicken soup, but chicken thighs and chicken breasts work, too. I just prefer to cook the chicken with the bones and skin as this adds extra flavor to the broth. Another option is adding rotisserie chicken to this soup.
- Tortellini: I love spinach ricotta tortellini, but you can choose any other filling for your tortellini. I used fresh tortellini to create this recipe, so make sure you don’t substitute with dry tortellini.
- Aromatics and vegetables: Garlic, onion, carrots, and celery are the winning combination for any soup! So please don’t omit any of these ingredients.
- Chicken broth: For the base of this soup, you’ll need your favorite chicken broth.
- Bay leaf: You can’t make this soup without using bay leaves! It is absolutely necessary for a delicious soup broth.
- Parsley (optional): I love to garnish the soup with chopped parsley, but you don’t need to if you don’t have any on hand.
How to make chicken tortellini soup
Preparing this chicken tortellini soup is super simple! Just follow these steps:
- Sauté the aromatics: First, sauté the onion and garlic with some olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Add the chicken: Next, add the chicken drumsticks to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they start to brown.
- Add the vegetables, bay leaf, and chicken broth: Now add the carrots, celery, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook the tortellini: Add the tortellini to the pot and let them cook with the soup for 3-5 minutes.
- Shred the chicken: While the tortellini cook, take out the chicken drumsticks and shred them with two forks. Discard the skin and bones. Then add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Garnish and serve: Take out the bay leaf, garnish with parsley, and enjoy!
Cooking tips
Making this soup is super easy! Just keep the following things in mind when you try it.
- Use more chicken broth if you want to use dry tortellini. As dry tortellini soak up more liquid, you’ll need to use more chicken broth. Or just go with fresh tortellini and follow the recipe as described.
- Don’t let the tortellini become soggy. Even if you use fresh tortellini, they soak up some of the liquid. So make sure you don’t cook them for longer than 3-5 minutes. If you want to make multiple servings of this soup for meal prep, cook the tortellini separately and add them to your single servings when you are ready to enjoy this dish! I don’t recommend storing the tortellini in the soup.
- Add more chicken broth if needed. If by the end of the cooking time the tortellini have soaked up more liquid than anticipated, add more chicken broth and bring it to a quick boil. Then immediately serve and enjoy this chicken tortellini soup!
Variations
Here are some easy ways to switch up the flavor of this chicken tortellini soup.
- Additional vegetables: I love to add additional vegetables to this soup. Among my favorites are baby spinach, kale, and leeks. So feel free to add some extra veggies to this dish!
- Seasonings: If there are seasonings you love to add to your soups, feel free to use them when you make this chicken tortellini soup! I sometimes like to add Italian seasoning, rosemary, or dried thyme.
- Heavy cream: Another delicious variation is adding a little heavy creamy to turn this dish into a creamy chicken tortellini soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
I usually don’t serve side dishes with this soup as it already is very filling and satisfying. But you can absolutely serve some crusty bread and a delicious side salad alongside this soup.
You can store the soup in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you know in advance that there will be leftovers, I recommend cooking the tortellini separately and adding them to the single servings. Otherwise, the tortellini will soak up most of the delicious broth.
Yes, you can freeze it! Just make sure you don’t freeze it with the tortellini. When you are ready to enjoy a serving of this soup, thaw the soup, cook the tortellini in a small pot, add them to the soup, and enjoy!
More delicious soup recipes
If you are looking for more soup recipes that you can add to your cooking rotation, check out the following recipes. They all taste great and are very easy to make!
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ pounds chicken drumsticks
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 5 ½ cups chicken broth more if needed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 18-ounce package fresh tortellini
- parsley (optional) chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent.
- Add the chicken drumsticks, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Now add the carrots, celery, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
- Now add the tortellini and let the soup simmer for 3-5 minutes. Check the package instructions for the accurate cooking time as it may vary.
- While the tortellini cook, take out the chicken and shred it with two forks. Then add it back to the soup.
- Take out the bay leaf, check if you want to add more salt, pepper, or chicken broth, and garnish with parsley (optional). Enjoy!
Dee
Thx for the simple but delicious recipe without tomatoes or cream. Used previously cooked chicken breast & also added in some chopped kale to help bump up vitamins & help us with our cold symptoms.
Beri
Happy to hear that you liked the soup! Hope you get better soon. 😊