Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup — Ready in just 30 minutes, and made in one pot, this EASY soup is a comfort food family favorite! Tender chicken, vegetables, and plenty of cheese tortellini in a super rich and creamy broth make this the PERFECT cold weather meal. Simple to make for lunch or busy weeknight dinners because it comes together so quickly!
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If chilly weather has you in the mood for a big comforting bowl of soup, this creamy chicken tortellini soup is just the ticket!
Made in one pot with easy-to-find ingredients, and ready in just 30 minutes, it’s what i like to think of as quick and easy comfort food in a bowl.
This recipe is actually adapted from my Easy 30-Minute Classic Chicken Tortellini Soup recipe – the difference being this is a cream-based broth and that one isn’t.
Every bite of this creamy soup is chock full of tender chicken, vegetables, and the perfect chewy bite of cheese-filled tortellini, all floating in a rich and creamy broth. Of course, feel free to use your favorite flavor of tortellini.
Although the chicken cooks very quickly, if you’re short on time or energy, you can use shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to make this easy soup recipe even easier.
Served with a hunk of crusty homemade sourdough bread, a French baguette from your grocery store bakery, or even some saltine crackers, this is a family favorite recipe that everyone loves.
Ingredients for This Recipe
You only need these very common and easy to find ingredients to make this comforting creamy soup:
- Olive oil
- White or yellow onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Boneless skinless chicken breast (or boneless skinless chicken thigh; or shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken may be used)
- Garlic
- Reduced sodium chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini
- Bay leaves
- Dried thyme
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
- Parmesan cheese, optional for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup in 30 Minutes
This creamy chicken tortellini soup is both easy and quick to make! With only 10 minutes of prep time, and 15 minutes cook time, you’ll be enjoying this comfort food delight in no time!
- To a large Dutch oven or large pot, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, and saute over medium high heat for a about 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Add the diced chicken and continue to saute for about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping at it as it cooks before adding the garlic in the final minute.
- Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, dried spices, bay leaf, cheese tortellini, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the tortellini are soft and cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste, optionally garnish with fresh Parmesan, and serve.
Is Your Soup Too Thick? How to Thin It Out
If at any time while making the soup the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of extra chicken broth, extra cream, or even a bit of water is recommended.
Tortellini is notorious for drinking up extra broth, especially as the soup simmers (and your leftovers in the fridge), so add extra broth, as desired.
Cooking Tips
Watch the Boil: After you add the heavy cream, make sure to keep an eye on the heat level and don’t let the soup boil away like crazy. Keep it at a low and controlled simmer, enough to warm the tortellini through, but not a fast or hard enough boil that you risk breaking the dairy proteins.
You’d have to toss the whole thing because anytime a cream sauce or broth with dairy “breaks”, it’s super unsightly and looks like there’s fluffy stuff floating in the liquid. Eekk! So take it easy and watch the boil.
Chicken: To save time, use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand and shred it with two forks. I have a poached chicken recipe that’s a great one to use here, too. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Salt to taste: Make sure to salt your soup to taste. I use low-sodium chicken broth and add salt at the end so I can control the overall salt level. The saltiness of the chicken broth, the tortellini, and if you’re using rotisserie chicken rather than making your own, all vary in their saltiness level, as do personal preferences for salt, so salt to taste.
Recipe FAQs
I use refrigerated tortellini that you can buy in any well-stocked supermarket. I use cheese filled tortellini, but you can use any type you like from spinach to sausage. I use the Rana brand because fun fact: I went on a trip to Italy in 2017 sponsored by Rana Pasta. Truly unforgettable! It’s a family-owned company and I even met Giovanni Rana, the man who’s on the packaging!
You can, however, use frozen tortellini. Thaw them first so they warm through quickly.
By all means, if you have fresh herbs on hand, you can use them instead of dried. A rule of thumb is to double the amount for fresh herbs. In this case, you’d want to use 1 teaspoon fresh herbs in lieu of the 1/2 tsp dried.
I have another recipe for 30-Minute Chicken Tortellini Soup. That recipe does not use heavy cream or other dairy in the broth. However, for this version, I wanted to make a luxurious, cream-based broth. Therefore, you will need to use heavy cream.
If you’re trying to reduce fat and calories, you can substitute with half-and-half and get a close approximation in terms of flavor and mouthfeel, although it won’t be quite as rich tasting.
Sure you can! If you’d like to finish the soup with some fresh baby spinach or red pepper flakes for a nice medium heat, or even a spritz of lemon juice, those are easy variations.
Perhaps, although I have not tested it in a Crockpot so you’d have to do some experimenting. Instead, if you’re looking for a slow cooker chicken soup recipe, make my Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. At the very end, you can add a cup of heavy cream to make it creamy if you’d like.
Soup Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer: Because of the cream, I haven’t tried to freeze this soup and I’m not sure how the thawing process would go.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. But you can use your stove, whatever is best suited for you.
What To Serve With Tortellini Soup
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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small
- 1 ½ cups carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 cup celery, diced small (about 2 large stalks)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces*
- 64 ounces 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream (half-and-half may be substituted)
- 10 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 to 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1 to 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems discarded, finely chopped; optional for garnishing
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, onion, carrots, celery, and sauté over medium-high head for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 minute. Stir continuously.
- Add the chicken and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir and flip frequently to ensure even cooking. Tip – If using rotisserie chicken or leftover (already cooked) chicken, you’ll add it later.
- Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, tortellini, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer uncovered for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until tortellini is tender. Tip – If at any time the soup doesn't have as much broth as you'd like (tortellini have a way of absorbing a lot of liquid), don't be afraid to add additional chicken broth, heavy cream, or even water.
- Remove the bay leaves, add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, stir, and taste the soup. Add additional salt, as desired. Tip – If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, or like it's missing something, it likely needs more salt so don't be afraid to add it. I easily add 3 to 4 teaspoons salt (total) in this recipe, but it's personal preference.
- Optionally garnish with fresh parsley, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is an easy to make and a delicious soup. My family just raves about. Will definitely be making it again soon
Thanks for the 5 star review, Judith, and I am glad your family just raves about this and that you’ll be making it again soon!
I made this soup exactly as stated. Turned out great! I highly recommend this recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m so glad it turned out great exactly as written!
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