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Creamy chicken tortellini soup brings cheese tortellini, tender chicken, sweet corn, and carrots together in a rich, savory broth. Every spoonful has a little of everything. Everything cooks in one soup pot on the stovetop, tortellini included. It freezes well, too, so you can tuck a few bowls away for a busy night. This is one to keep in your family’s winter soup rotation.
We enjoy soups every week throughout the fall and winter seasons, and this one has quickly become a new family favorite. I love that it’s easy and also hearty enough to be a full meal.
Testing results for chicken tortellini soup
- Our testing showed that it’s best to heat the cream only until warm, then take the pot off the burner before stirring in the Parmesan; the cheese melts smoothly with no curdling or lumps.
- I tasted the soup before adding salt and ended up not adding any. Between the broth and the cheese, it was already well seasoned for me. Taste for your own preferences just in case.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Cooked chicken and fresh tortellini
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card.
Chicken: The recipe calls for cooked chicken breast cut into bite-size cubes. I cook mine ahead, but cubed or shredded deli rotisserie chicken is completely fair game in this chicken tortellini soup. A seasoned rotisserie chicken adds a little more flavor.
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Cheese tortellini: Refrigerated cheese tortellini cooks right in the broth, so this cheese tortellini chicken soup needs no separate pot for the pasta. One less pot to wash is always a win in my kitchen.
Frozen corn and carrots: Add both straight from the freezer. No need to thaw them; they heat through right along with the tortellini.
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Tools for a big pot of soup
A big soup pot gives this recipe plenty of room, and a ladle makes serving easy. A wooden spoon is my choice for stirring in the Parmesan.
Thicken chicken tortellini soup with flour
This chicken tortellini soup recipe thickens with a simple butter-and-flour base. Cook the onion and celery in the melted butter until they soften, then stir in the Italian seasoning and flour.
Cook the flour briefly in the hot butter before you add any broth. If you skip that step, you’ll taste raw flour in the finished soup.
Pour in the broth in a few batches, and let each addition heat through before you add the next. The broth thickens a little more with every pour.
Related 📖 ➡️ Best tools for soups
Stir the Parmesan in off the heat
The Parmesan in this creamy tortellini soup is stirred right into the broth instead of just sprinkled on top. The cheese and the heavy cream together make the broth rich and savory.
Heat the cream only until it’s warm through. Then take the pot off the burner and stir in the Parmesan until it’s smooth. The cheese melts slowly off the heat instead of curdling or clumping, and nothing scorches on the bottom of the pot.
You’ll have the best results if you grate your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese usually contains an anti-caking agent, and freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly.
Freeze it whole and reheat it slowly
Freezing: Freeze this soup fully cooked with the tortellini and everything else in it. Freezer containers let you pull out one supper at a time, and a container of this soup is a thoughtful thing to carry to a family with a new baby.
Reheating: Parmesan can separate and turn oily when it’s reheated. Add a splash of heavy cream or milk, then warm the soup slowly, either in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power.
Cornbread or rolls alongside
All this soup needs is a wedge of Southern buttermilk cornbread or a couple of soft buttermilk dinner rolls for soaking up the last of the broth. Add a green salad with arugula and fresh herbs if you want something fresh on the table, too. When you’re ready for a different soup next week, there are more Southern soup recipes to choose from.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
- 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
- sliced green onions for serving
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium-low heat until it’s bubbly.
- Add 1 cup diced onion and 1 cup diced celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and cook for about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add 6 cups chicken broth about 2 cups at a time, letting it heat through and thicken before adding more.
- Add 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed, 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini, 1 cup frozen corn kernels, and 1 cup frozen sliced carrots, and heat through for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and heat just until it’s warmed through.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese until it’s melted into the soup.
- Taste, then season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed.
- Serve hot, topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and sliced green onions.
