My creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe bridges the gap between pasta recipes and chicken soup recipes! How many times do you find yourself craving both pasta and soup?
Something hearty like chicken recipes but light enough to be a soup? Something creamy and decadent and bursting with cheese? Something that screams Eat me with crusty bread!
Welcome to the wonderful world of tortellini soup, my friends! This creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe will have you adding noodle soups to your weekly recipe rotation, I promise.
Break out your aprons, and let’s get cooking!
Jump To…
What I Love About This Recipe
Who doesn’t love fusion foods? Getting the best of both worlds is always a win-win — and my creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe is definitely a win-win!
- Crowd-pleasing creaminess
- Hearty, plump tortellini
- Chicken-and-cream flavor goodness
- Great for colder nights!
How To Make Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
My creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe is one of the easiest Italian soups you can make! Every bite comes with one of those delicious, purse-like noodle dumplings packed with chicken and cheese; plus, that broth! Creamy heaven.
Let me walk you through the basics of this recipe to make sure your soup comes out perfectly!
Creamy Tortellini Soup Recipe Notes
If you’ve made a creamy tortellini soup before, you’ll recognize some of these tips and tricks:
Curdling: The enemy of any creamy soup is curdled milk! To prevent your creamy-dreamy soup from turning into a creamy-nightmare soup, you’ll want to temper any cream you add. Tempering is bringing the temperature of the milk up so when it hits the hot soup, it doesn’t turn to curds.
Cooked Veggies: If you put vegetables in a soup, why do you need to cook them before? One word: flavor! Sautéing veggies beforehand allows for caramelization, which is where all flavor comes from in cooking.
Noodles: Tortellini may have extra umph in them, but they are still noodles! Treat them just as you would any other pasta, and aim for perfect al dente cooking.
Chicken Tortellini Soup Ingredient Notes
Size: A lot of people make a common mistake when cooking chicken tortellini soup: they buy tortelloni instead of tortellini. There’s a big difference: size! Tortelloni are much larger and tend to be two-bite pasta while tortellini are smaller and do better in soups.
Tortellini: On the note of tortellini, my favorite type of store-bought tortellini is the Herb Chicken Tortellini from Buitoni! I love the flavor they pack into these tiny morsels. Your soup will thank you!
Veggies: Want to shake things up with some different veggies in your soup? I love experimenting with different root veggies to see what flavors I can bring out. My recent favorite? Parsnips!
Storing Tips
Even though my creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe has the word soup in the name, you’ll want to treat it like a pasta dish. Read on for how best to store your leftovers!
Can You Freeze This?
Sadly, no. Due to the heavy cream base in this soup, the freezer’s high temperatures would decimate the milk and cause lots of unappetizing separation.
If you know you’ll have a ton of soup leftover, your best bet is to cook the tortellini separately. You can freeze tortellini on its own, just not the cream base soup. Tortellini freezes for up to two months.
Make Ahead Tips
One thing I love most about this creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe is how easy it is to make! Tortellini comes premade at the store, so much of this recipe is dump and simmer.
But to cut the time down, you can always chop your veggies early. Chopped veggies will last up to five days in the fridge.
How Long Can You Keep This?
Your creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe will store in the fridge for up to four days. After that, the noodles will become thoroughly saturated by the sauce, and you’ll lose all that wonderful chewy goodness of the tortellini.
But you can always freshen up your leftover soup with a splash of cream! This will give it some extra liquid and help loosen up the sauce.
Recipe Variations
Want more chicken dishes to round out your weeknight roster? Read on!
Can This Be Made With Asian Twist?
Asian chicken soup is even more classic than Italian! Chicken ramen can’t be beaten — the possibilities for toppings are endless. My favorite is the delicious creamy Thai coconut chicken soup. The lemongrass will have swooning! Or you can go for Thai chicken soup, a simpler version with just as much flavor.
Can I Cook This With Dumplings?
Swapping the tortellini for dumplings is easy! Chicken dumpling soup is great for those chilly nights. And we can’t forget where it all began — Southern chicken and dumplings bring you home! My crack chicken noodle soup will make you a believer in the powers of chicken soups.
Can I Cook This In A Crockpot Instead?
Yes! Crockpot chicken soup does wonderfully and makes your whole house smell great. Crockpot chicken noodle soup is perfect to feed a crowd while I love throwing on crockpot chicken and dumplings for the perfect weekend treat!
Can I Cook This In An Instant Pot Instead?
Instant Pot chicken noodle soup and Instant Pot chicken soup will soothe your weeknight chaos! So easy and so delicious. But a real treat? Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup — bring some zest to dinner!
What Other Chicken Soup Recipes Can I Cook?
There is an endless array of chicken soups to try! Chicken potato soup is extra hearty for when you need to really fill bellies. Greek lemon chicken soup is light and bright in all the best ways. Chicken curry soup will have your tastebuds dancing!
Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 5-6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 heaping tablespoon chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 (10 ounces) container fresh cheese tortellini
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, julienned
Garnish:
- fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- Generously season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Brown chicken breasts on both sides and continue to cook until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook onion, garlic, carrots, red bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are soft. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in broth until smooth.
- Return pot to heat, add 5 cups chicken broth, Better Than Bouillon, Italian seasoning, rosemary, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and Parmesan cheese and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer, stirring often so cheese doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Stir in tortellini adjusting heat to maintain a simmer, continue stirring occasionally. Cook until tortellini is almost al dente. Return chicken, and any juices that have accumulated on the plate, back to the pot and stir in cream. Continue to simmer until chicken is heated through.
- Adjust salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve. As soup sits the pasta will absorb the broth, thin as needed with extra chicken broth.
Nutrition
More Tortellini Recipes…
Want more tortellini recipes? I knew you would! Here are some of my favorites:
- Tortellini Pasta Salad – Great for picnics!
- Spinach Tortellini Soup – Bring on the greens!
- Tortellini Al Forno – The Olive Garden favorite at home
- Baked Tortellini – Oven-baked warmth in every bite
- Tortellini Carbonara – Up the flavor of this classic dish
Conclusion
I hope my creamy chicken tortellini soup recipe brought a delicious twist to your dinnertime! I’ve yet to see anyone turn away a meal packed with tortellini. They’re just yummy!
What kind of tortellini are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
Beth says
January 28, 2020 at 7:29 pmThis soup is so creamy and delicious! My guys loved it! I can’t wait to make it again!
Kathleen says
January 29, 2020 at 12:48 amWoot! That’s great, Beth! ❤️
estelle says
January 28, 2020 at 7:10 pmthis looks sooo creamy and I love all the different herbs!
Kathleen says
January 29, 2020 at 12:47 amThank you, Estelle! Hope you enjoy it! ❤️
Michelle says
January 28, 2020 at 7:09 pmSo rich and creamy. Perfect dinner for a cold day!
Kathleen says
January 29, 2020 at 12:46 amI couldn’t agree more!
Julie says
January 28, 2020 at 6:55 pmI love soup! Really! Any kind! Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
January 29, 2020 at 12:45 amYou’re welcome, Julie! 😃