Chicken Tortellini Soup

A delicious Chicken Tortellini Soup with a flavorful and smoky chicken with mushrooms, carrots, and celery! This is the perfect combo of tortellini filled with cheese with a smoky and tender chicken breast, more filling and hearty than a classic chicken noodle.

Looking for a sandwich to serve your soup with? Try our Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheeseor Gruyere Grilled Cheese!

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A Twist on Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of my favorite soups to make when someone is feeling under the weather. Chicken tortellini soup is so hearty and warm, plus it's filling for everyone. Chicken soup isn't as sexy as creamy sausage soups like Zuppa Toscanabut it's one that the whole family is guaranteed to like. It has simple and easy ingredients and it's done in under an hour.

I love the flavor of this classic chicken tortellini soup but you may also like our other chicken soups like EASY Chicken Farro Soup or Curry Chicken and Rice Soup! Chicken soup is quite literally for the soul. It always hits just right and no one dislikes chicken soup.

The combination of the vegetables and mushrooms in this soup with the paprika seasoning makes this one so flavorful. It will be 1000x better than anything you can get out of a can, plus you can freeze it!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Chicken breast. I like to use whole chicken breasts for this soup. You can also substitute it with a shredded rotisserie chicken if you want to skip simmering the chicken breast. You could also use sausage instead of chicken and use our Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning with ground pork, similar to our Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage.
• Mushrooms. I prefer the butteriness of baby bella mushrooms. You can substitute shitake for a more earthy flavor or white button mushrooms!
• Chicken Broth. You can use homemade chicken broth or your favorite brand. You could also substitute chicken bullion cubes and water.
• Seasoning. I season with salt, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and crushed red pepper. Seasoning the soup in layers is important to get the most flavorful soup.
• Parmesan Rind. I add a parmesan rind to all my soups for extra flavor. Then I remove it at the end with the bay leaves!
• Tortellini. Use homemade tortellini or store-bought! You can also switch it up with our Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.

How to Make Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken tortellini soup is sort of an Italian take on chicken noodle soup, while our One-Pot Lasagna Soup is more of an American take on an Italian dish. Follow the simple directions below to make this easy soup!

Step 1: Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl. Season the chicken breast on all sides with half of the seasoning.

Step 2: Heat a pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken breast to the pot. Sear on both sides for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the chicken breast and set aside.

Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for 5 minutes.

Step 4: Season with the rest of the seasoning. Layering in the seasoning in soup is the most important cooking technique and the best way to make sure you have a flavorful soup.

Step 5: Stir in the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes. Mushrooms should soften and brown.

Step 6: Add the chicken broth and bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Place the whole chicken breasts into the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 7: Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add in the tortellini and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

This chicken tortellini soup is very filling but it can be served as a side or an appetizer at bigger meals if you want to serve it alongside a dish like Restaurant-Style Chicken SaltimboccaorChicken Rollatiniwith a vegetable likeSauteed Rapini with GarlicorBEST Garlic Parmesan Green Beans.

While this soup is on the more brothy side, you can also try our Butter Chicken Soup which is a thicker creamier soup!

Pro-Tips

1. When searing the chicken, wait for the pot to reach a high heat. You want the sear to make the outside of the chicken golden brown in less than 2-3 minutes. This will keep the chicken from drying out when you simmer it in the pot. 
2. I like to let the chicken cool for about 5 minutes after it simmers in the pot and before I shred it. I use a fork to shred the chicken because I prefer the large chunks. If you want smaller pieces of chicken, you can place the chicken in a standing mixer and mix with a paddle attachment and it will shred it for you. 
3. Season throughout the cooking process to layer in the flavor. Taste the soup at every step so that you can taste the flavor developing.

Recipe FAQs

Is chicken tortellini soup good the next day?

Yes, but the tortellini can soak up some of the broth. If you don't want to add extra broth to the soup when you reheat, you can cook the tortellini separately from the soup and add it in when you're ready to eat!

How do you thicken tortellini soup?

Our soup is sort of a riff on chicken noodle soup, but the starchiness from the tortellini does thicken it slightly. Expect a brothy soup with this one!

How do you keep tortellini from getting mushy in soup?

It's impossible. Pasta WILL soak up liquid. That is what it does. If you want your tortellini to not be mushy the next day, cook it separately and add it into the soup when you're ready to serve.

More Delicious Soup

• Creamy Potato and Onion Soup
• Barley Lentil Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup
• White Bean Lentil Soup