Chicken Tortellini Soup

This Chicken Tortellini Soup is loaded with vegetables, tender chicken, and hearty cheese tortellini and cooked in a flavorful broth! Easily made stove top or crockpot with fresh or frozen chicken!

It’s no secret around here that we are big on soup! From Chicken Noodle Soup to this reader favorite Sausage Tortellini Soup and this ridiculously delicious Spinach Tortellini Soup (with crispy prosciutto!), we never run out of dinner options here 😉

This Chicken Tortellini Soup is pure comfort food (although we’ve been loving this Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup for some time now!). 

It has a vegetable base made up of onions, carrots, and celery, which add so much flavor, and whole chicken breasts cook right in the soup, which means no pre-cooked chicken required (unless you want to use it!) 

This flavorful soup is perfect for any time of year, especially when cold weather starts to come around again! 

Love tortellini in soup? Try this Tomato Tortellini Soup or The BEST Sausage Tortellini Soup next!

Why we love this easy Chicken Tortellini Soup recipe:

• Quick to make: This soup takes 30 minutes from start to finish, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want an easy meal that will fill you up!
• Simple ingredients: This soup has 7 main ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your fridge or pantry! The only things you might need to grab are the cheesy tortellini and chicken.
• Family-favorite: The cheesy tortellini paired with the tender shredded chicken and a rich broth create a comforting soup the whole family will love, even picky eaters!

Chicken Tortellini Soup ingredients:

• Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are called for in this recipe, but you can swap them for boneless chicken thighs if that is what you have on hand. You don’t need to change the cook time at all!
• Onions, carrots, and celery: These three are the base of many soups, and they provide great flavor! You can omit one or more if necessary, but know that it will cut down on the flavor of your soup. I recommend substituting for another vegetable you have on hand.
• Fresh spinach: This gets added at the end of cooking so it doesn’t get soggy, and it adds some extra greens! If you’re not a fan of spinach, you can leave it out. 
• Garlic and herbs: You can customize the recipe to your tastes as much as you want, but I always recommend making the recipe as listed before experimenting. Once it’s ready, you can taste and adjust the seasonings as you desire!
• Chicken broth: I use low-sodium chicken broth for all of my recipes. If you are using regular chicken broth with salt added, you may want to reduce the amount of salt added to the soup and adjust it later after tasting.
• Cheese-filled tortellini: Fresh or frozen cheese tortellini will work great here! If you don’t have tortellini, you can also use short dry pasta (macaroni, ditalini, etc.), but keep in mind it will take longer to cook than fresh tortellini.

How to make this hearty soup: 

With a few basic steps, you can make this delicious soup! Jump down to the recipe card for the full list of instructions.

• Sauté the veggies in a large pot.
• Add in your seasonings and spice, stirring to combine.

• Pour in the chicken broth, then add in your chicken breasts right into the pot.
• Add the tortellini and spinach once the chicken is cooked.

Variations and substituions:

• If you don’t want to use raw chicken, you can use pre-cooked chicken, shredded chicken, or even leftover turkey! Just make sure you reduce the cook time. 
• Feel free to add more veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, peas, or kale. 
• For a kick of spice, add in some red pepper flakes. 

How to store leftover soup:

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just keep in mind that the tortellini might get a little soggy after a couple of days.

To reheat, place a small pot on the stovetop and reheat the soup gently on medium-low heat until warm. 

Can I freeze Chicken Tortellini Soup?

Absolutely!

You can prep the soup entirely and freeze it. However, I find the tortellini does get a little soft and bloated after sitting in the liquid for some time.

For better results, prepare the soup entirely, but skip adding the tortellini.

Portion out the soup and freeze it, then thaw and heat it to simmer on the stove before adding your tortellini.

How to make this soup with frozen chicken breasts?

One of my favorite things about making soup with chicken breasts is that you can add them right into the soup from frozen.

It makes this Chicken Tortellini Soup a staple for those busy nights when you forgot to take anything out of the freezer!

Simply add your frozen chicken breasts to the simmering liquid and cook until done (you want to make sure the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F). 

This will take a few minutes longer than fresh chicken breasts, but it is infinitely quicker than trying to thaw chicken breasts before making dinner!

Can I make it in the crockpot?

Most definitely!

You can opt to saute the vegetables first or simply through them in the crockpot with all of the other ingredients aside from the tortellini.

This soup will cook for roughly 5-6 hours on low until the vegetables are cooked, depending on how small you cook them (the chicken breasts only take 3 hours, but they will be okay sitting in the liquid). If your slow cooker is on the cooler side, it can take up to 8 hours.

If you prefer, you can start your vegetables, broth, and seasonings and let cook for 4-5 hours, then add the chicken breasts and cook for 3 more hours.

Add the tortellini in the 30-60 minutes before serving for best results.

Serving suggestions:

You’re going to want some crusty, no-knead bread or garlic bread for dipping into the broth!

More chicken soup recipes you’ll love!

• Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup — for taco tuesday!
• Chicken Noodle Soup — a classic for good reason.
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup — the coziest soup for a chilly day.
• Chicken Vegetable Soup — hearty and nourishing!