This Chicken Tortellini Soup is loaded with vegetables, tender shredded chicken and cheese tortellini! Easily made stove top or crockpot, with fresh or frozen chicken!
See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
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 is a new favorite (although we’ve been loving on this Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup for some time now!).
It has a vegetable base made up of onions, carrots and celery which add a ton of flavor, and whole chicken breasts cook right in the soup, which means no pre-cooked chicken required.
It is ready in about 30 minutes, because frozen cheese tortellini cooks up in just a couple of minutes after it’s added!
Chicken Tortellini Soup is a quick, cozy and healthy dinner that is loved by all who try it!
Love tortellini in soup? Try this Tomato Tortellini Soup next!
Chicken Tortellini Soup Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Chicken breasts: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are called for in this recipe but you can swap 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, 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 in your soup. I recommend substituting for another vegetable you have on hand.
- Garlic and herbs: you can customize 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 into the soup and adjust later after tasting.
- Cheese tortellini: fresh or frozen cheese tortellini will work great in 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 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 into 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 freeze Chicken Tortellini Soup?
Absolutely!
You can prep the soup entirely and freeze, though 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, then thaw and heat to simmering on the stove before adding your tortellini.
How can I make this soup vegetarian?
This Tortellini Soup can easily be made vegetarian by skipping the chicken (feel free to add in beans or extra veggies if you want!) and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
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 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.
More chicken soup recipes you’ll love!
Chicken Tortellini Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 ½ cups fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (250 grams)
- 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add vegetables and cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add Italian seasoning, salt, garlic and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth and chicken breasts and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (10-14 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts).
- When chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove chicken breasts to shred or chop. Stir in cheese tortellini and spinach while you shred the chicken.
- Stir chicken back into soup and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Linda says
So delicious! I used (too much) boxed tortellini and added more broth. This is going to be one of my new go-to soups. Loved it! Thank you!
Echo says
Hello! Can I get the crockpot recipe for this please? Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Echo! I’ve not tested this soup in the crockpot, so unfortunately I do not have a recipe for that. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Kat says
No not yet I’m making it tonight!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it!
Joyce Matthews says
This is very similar to a soup my daughter-in-law made very quickly after we chose our Christmas trees. The colours were so Christmassy – white, red and green. She sprinkled some Parmesan cheese over it just prior to serving, and wow! Perfection in a bowl, not to mention warming! Should be a must-have in every home, it’s so delicious!
Thank you, Ashley!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Joyce! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Mattie says
This was so good!! I made it to have leftovers the next night, and we ate the whole pot! Definitely making this again!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mattie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Steve says
Hey i made the chichen tortellini soup and the dish came out amazing thx.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear Steve! Thanks!
Dominique says
I want to use cooked chicken. How much do I use? Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Dominique, you would use the same amount of chicken. Hope you enjoy it!
Jill says
I meant to give it 5 stars when I commented on the recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!!
Jill says
Absolutely delicious soup, especially the broth!! It also freezes really well. I will definitely be making this again………..yummy!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jill! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Tara says
The recipe was super easy and absolutely delicious! Definitely making it again
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Tara, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Kelly says
Super simple, quick meal! Very delicious! 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Stacy Green says
Made this soup last night. Was delicious, will definitely make again! Very glad I found this recipe. Nice twist on chicken noodle soup. We loved the soup.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stacy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Katie says
If I am using a smaller pasta shape will I still use the recommended 2.5 cups?
I plan on making this but don’t have tortellini on hand
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Katie! That would be a really hard guess due to the tortellini being a different size than a smaller pasta. Maybe try 2 cups? If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Ava Neiderhiser says
This recipe was my favorite! I loved the taste and I love that its healthy! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ava! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Jenn says
If using a crock pot, is the pasta added before you serve or does it need to go into the crockpot with the other ingredients?
Making this now & wasnt 100% sure.
Ashley Fehr says
You could do either way, but if using fresh or frozen tortellini it’s probably best to add them just before serving, maybe in the last hour or so so they don’t become bloated.
Charla says
Wonderful! This will be my go to soup during the cold snap.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Charla!
Anaiah says
This tortellini soup is absolutely delicious! It’s exactly what I needed to warm up to in this cold weather. Such a comforting dish. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
My pleasure!
Cathleen says
This soup is so comforting!! I know that I am going to be making it over and over in these colder months. Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cathleen!
Tara says
Such a comforting and easy soup! I love all those flavors and how you included instructions for the slow cooker. Yum!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tara!
Ian says
A superb recipe Ashley. Thank you for sharing that and for the invaluable video, without which I would be so lost! Many thanks for making my cooking edible!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Florina says
This recèpe look very good and healthy. Because my printer is defect I cannot printer. hope I will made it soon. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! I hope you get to try it 🙂