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Quick and easy Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup- packed with veggies and cheesy tortellini is deliciously easy to pull together for a weeknight warm-up. Make it with leftover or rotisserie chicken for an easy weeknight meal!

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Quick and easy Chicken Tortellini Soup

This fast, hearty and weeknight-friendly Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup is loaded with shredded chicken, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, and cheesy tortellini, all swimming in a richly flavored broth. Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a hunk of crusty bread, and you’ve got a delicious dinner in about 40 minutes!

Italian Style Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken Tortellini Soup Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. You’ll cook the veggies in this until they are just starting to turn translucent.
  • 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced. 
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced. 
  • 1 medium onion, diced. 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste. 
  • 4 cloves minced garlic. You can also use jarred, if that’s what you have on hand. If you can, go for fresh- the flavor is stronger and more pronounced than the jarred stuff.  
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning.
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, for a bit of heat.
  • 6 cups chicken stock.  
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar, for some acidity.
  • 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes. You can use regular diced tomatoes, too!
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded. I love to use a leftover rotisserie chicken for this recipe.
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen cheese tortellini.
  • Grated parmesan cheese, for serving.
cooking the carrots, onion and celery

Building flavors in a flash

This soup is fast cooking, but building great flavor from the quick sauté of the veggies, and blooming the garlic and Italian seasoning briefly before adding the liquids and simmering.

cooking the veggies

How to make Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup

  1. Heat a 5 quart stock pot or Dutch oven to medium-low and add olive oil.
  2. Add celery, carrot, and onion, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened.
  3. Add garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, and stir well. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. 
  4. Add chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and tomatoes. Being to a boil. Reduce heat to low, Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 
  5. Add cooked chicken and tortellini, and simmer 5 minutes more, until tortellini is cooked through.
    Serve with plenty of grated parmesan cheese. 
simmering the soup

What kind of chicken should I use for the soup?

You can use any cooked chicken you like. Breast or thighs are great. This soup is a great candidate for using up a leftover rotisserie chicken, or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Just shred the chicken up, and add it in at the end of the cooking time with the tortellini until warmed through.

pot of chicken tortellini soup

Serving the soup

Substitutions and Additions

Here are some substitutions and additions to make the soup your own, or work with what you have on hand:

  • Use any leftover chicken you have! Shredded breasts, thighs, or rotisserie chicken are all great. If you don’t have any chicken on hand, you can simmer a whole chicken breast in the broth, and shred, or use baked or poached chicken.
  • Pesto tortellini makes a great substitute for the cheese tortellini. You can also use fresh tortellini or dried, just adjust the cooking time to make sure it is not over cooked or under cooked in the broth.
  • You can use any chicken stock you like, or even substitute for veggie broth if that’s what you have.
  • If you have one, adding a parmesan rind to the broth during the simmering process adds great flavor to the soup.
  • If you want to up the veggie count, throw in a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach at the end of the cooking time with the tortellini and chicken!
  • If you want to make this into a slow cooker chicken tortellini soup, you can! Just add all the ingredients to your crockpot on low for about 6 hours, then add the chicken and tortellini at the end until the tortellini is cooked through.
  • Adding a drained and rinsed can of Cannelini beans when simmering makes this soup extra hearty!

Storing leftovers

Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Be sure to cool it to room temperature before storing.

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chicken tortellini soup
Print Recipe

Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr 15 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Dinner
Keyword: chicken soup, chicken thighs, parmesan, spinach, tomatoes, tortellini
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced 
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly 
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning 
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
  • fresh grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

  • Heat a 5 quart stock pot or Dutch oven to medium-low and add olive oil.

    2. Add celery, carrot, and onion, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened. 

    3. Add garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, and stir well. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant.
    4. Add chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and tomatoes. Being to a boil. Reduce heat to low, Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
    5. Add cooked chicken and tortellini, and simmer 5 minutes more, until tortellini is cooked through. 
Serve with plenty of grated parmesan cheese.

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