Chicken Tortellini Soup with Leeks

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This creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup with Leeks is a flavorful bowl of heaven in the winter! My super simple and delicious chicken tortellini soup recipe combines cooked shredded chicken, creamy cheese tortellini and lots of leeks! It’s a flavorful and comforting soup you can whip up on a weeknight!

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What’s more comforting than a big bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day? A big bowl of my Chicken Tortellini Soup with Leeks!

This quick and easy Chicken Tortellini Soup is great for a busy weeknight, or any night you’re craving a hearty and delicious bowl of goodness. The creamy and dreamy soup is flavored with lots of leeks and spices, for a truly unique tortellini soup sure to be a hit at your dinner table.

Prepping the ingredients

Before diving in to making the soup, you’ll start by prepping all your veggies and cooking your chicken, if it’s not already leftover/pre-cooked. I often times use shredded chicken thighs that I bake or braise, but this soup is also great with cooked chicken breast, or leftover rotisserie chicken! The chicken goes in toward the end of the cooking process, so you can even bake it in the beginning of cook time, or use cold shredded chicken right from the fridge.

Before starting the sautéing and soup making, make sure all your veggies are chopped and ready to go! You’ll cut the carrots and celery into small bite sized pieces, and thinly slice the cleaned leeks, discarding the very tough and dark green ends.

Never cleaned a leek?

Cleaning leeks is prepping them is super simple! Simply lop off the dark green tough ends, and slice the leek down the center, leaving the root intact. To clean, run the leeks under running water, getting between all the layers to make sure you get any debris that may be lurking in there. Leeks can get very dirty, so cleaning them well is important. Once the leek is well rinsed, slice it thinly and discard the root end. Repeat with all leeks until you’ve got them all curt into uniformly thin slices.

Making the creamy chicken tortellini soup

For this chicken tortellini soup recipe, you will need:

• Butter and olive oil.
• 3 medium-sized leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly (tough greens discarded). 
• A couple medium carrots.
• A stalk of celery, preferably with leaves. Those little leaves have so much flavor!
• Salt and pepper, to taste – always.
• 6 crushed cloves of garlic, or more if you’re a garlic fiend.
• A few tablespoons of all-purpose flour, to help thicken the soup.
• Crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme, poultry seasoning and fresh grated nutmeg. Trust me on the nutmeg- the pre-ground stuff just doesn’t compare.
• A bit of heavy cream, for richness.
• A box of chicken stock.
• Some water.
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken. Thighs or breasts, whichever you prefer. This is also a way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken!
• Frozen cheese tortellini.
• Some fresh parsley leaves and shaved parmesan cheese, for serving. Optional, but recommended.

Cooking the soup

This chicken tortellini soup recipe is super easy to make, thanks to the use of cooked chicken and frozen cheese tortellini. Once you’ve got all your veggies cleaned and prepped, the rest is a breeze!

To make the soup, you’ll start by sautéing your carrot, celery and leeks for about 10 minutes until the leeks are nice and wilted. After the leeks are softened, you’ll add your seasonings and garlic, and cook about a minute, until just fragrant. This helps release the spice and garlic flavor into the soup. Don’t add the nutmeg just yet- that’ll go in right at the end with the creamy for another hit of flavor!

When your spices and garlic are in, you’ll add the flour and cook that a few minutes to help make a little roux to thicken the soup, Then just whisk in the chicken stock and water, and add the shredded cooked chicken. Simmer the soup with a lid on for about 15 minutes. Next add the cream, nutmeg and frozen tortellini, and cook about 10 minutes more. Once the tortellini is cooked through, the soup is ready to go!

Serving the soup

I love to serve this soup piping hot, with a little sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and some thinly shaved parmesan cheese. Don’t forget a hunk of crusty bread for dipping- then you’re in soup heaven!

If you make my Chicken Tortellini Soup with Leeks, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!

Looking for more great recipes? Why not try my Instant Pot Minestrone Soup with Kale, Easy Chicken and Dumplings, Crockpot Mexican Chicken Pozole Verde, Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Mushrooms, or Shrimp Corn Chowder!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Tortellini Soup with Leeks

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Dinner

Keyword: chicken soup, soup, tortellini

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium sized leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly, tough greens discarded 
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4” inch cubes 
• 1 stalk of celery with leaves, diced 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning 
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 32 oz chicken stock 
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups cooked chicken thighs or breasts, shredded 
• 12 oz frozen cheese tortellini 
• fresh parsley leaves and shaved parmesan cheese, for serving 

Instructions

• Melt the butter with olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat

  2. Add the carrots, celery and leeks, and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes, until leeks are softened.

  4. Add the dried thyme, poultry seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, until just fragrant.

  5. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

  6. Slowly stir or whisk in the chicken stock and water, until well combined.

  7. Add the shredded cooked chicken to the pot, cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the carrots are softened.

  8. Add the heavy cream, nutmeg and tortellini. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

  9. Cover and cook 10 minutes more.

  10. Serve hot with parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

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