Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

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A hearty soup full of diced chicken breast, chunky carrots, tortellini pasta, and spinach all swimming in a flavorful creamy broth. This soup is comfort food at its finest!

This Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup with spinach is the perfect bowl of comfort food to get me through the last couple of months of winter.

I’m already dreaming about spring and with the temps creeping up to the low 40’s lately, it’s practically summertime here in Maine! But in a couple of days, I’ll soon be reminded that we still have a little bit of winter left to tackle, and I’ll have this soup to get me through.

This soup checks all the boxes for me. It’s creamy, hearty, chunky, and it’s full of cream and pasta! Serve with a fresh salad and crisp garlic crostini for dipping.

How to make Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup with Spinach

Serves 6-8

Ingredients you will need for the soup:

• 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast or 4 cups of pre-cooked chicken
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups of diced sweet onion (1 medium to large onion)
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups of carrots, diced (about 3 medium to large carrots)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 oz of frozen chopped spinach (fresh is fine too!), thawed and drained
• 16 oz of frozen tortellini–do not thaw
• 2 cups of half and half or heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cooking the chicken (skip this step if using precooked chicken):

Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-medium low heat.

Add your chicken breasts and brown both sides–about 7-8 minutes each side. You’ll know the chicken is ready to flip when the chicken releases easily from the bottom of the pot.

Cover the pot, set the burner to medium low, and let the chicken finish cooking. The chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 30-45 minutes (mine took 45 minutes because it was partially frozen).

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to rest.

Making the soup:

Without cleaning the pan after cooking the chicken, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss in the onions and celery. *You may need more oil if you didn’t have to cook the chicken first!

Cook on medium to medium low heat until soft and translucent.

Add in the carrots, thyme, and garlic and cook until fragrant–about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the top of the vegetables.

Using a rubber spatula, stir and toss the flour and vegetables for about 1 minute. This will cook out that raw flour taste!

Pour in your chicken stock and add the bay leaves. Stir the mixture together and try to scrape up all those yummy chicken and vegetable bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. 

Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer uncovered until the carrots are tender. About 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, dice up your chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and set aside.

Once the carrots are tender, remove the bay leaves and add in the frozen tortellini. Turn the heat back up to get the soup simmering again, and cook per the instructions on your tortellini’s package.

Once the tortellini is fully cooked, add in the diced chicken, spinach and half and half. 

Give the soup a stir, and cook just long enough until everything is heated through.

Taste the soup before serving and add any additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!

What to serve with Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

This soup is super hearty and has a fair amount of vegetables and chicken in it that I typically serve the soup alone on a busy weeknight.

However, if you’re looking to include this creamy soup as part of a grander meal, a green salad with a zippy vinaigrette or a crusty slice of garlic toast would be a lovely addition!

Can You freeze Chicken Tortellini Soup?

Yes! You can absolutely freeze this soup–but I wouldn’t recommend freezing the completed soup.

If you’re looking to pop a quart or two in the freezer, make sure to leave out the tortellini and the half and half until you’re ready to reheat and serve. Everything else–like the chicken and the spinach will be ok to add to the soup and freeze.

By prepping the soup this way for the freezer, it will ensure that the pasta won’t get overcooked or mushy and you’ll maintain the silky texture of the half and half!

When you are ready to serve, reheat the soup on the stovetop. Bring to a simmer and then add your tortellini. Once the tortellini has cooked through, add the half and half, adjust the salt and pepper if needed, and serve!

How Long is my creamy chicken tortellini soup good for?

I really like to eat this soup within 3 days of making it.

It won’t go bad until way beyond that, but I like eating leftovers soon after making the soup so the tortellini doesn’t get mushy as it sits.

Swaps and Variations

This chicken tortellini soup allows room for all sorts of creativity! Since you’ll be making it every week–because it’s so darn delish–you may want to mix it up a little so you can keep things exciting.

Here are some suggestions:

• Use baby kale (stems removed) or chopped curly kale in place of the spinach
• Swap the spinach for another green veggie like green beans or broccoli
• Shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken will work great in place of diced chicken, you just need 3 1/2 to 4 cups
• Add in some sauteed mushrooms–cook these first before adding the onion, celery, and carrots, remove from the pot and add back with the chicken.
• Sprinkle on some crispy chopped bacon
• Swap the tortellini for baby ravioli or egg noodles or any noodle that you love
• Use white beans or potatoes in place of the pasta
• Add sausage instead of chicken
• Serve with a sprinkle of thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes for a little extra salt and tang

Other Soups You May Enjoy:

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

One Pot Chili Mac

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