Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is the perfect fall and winter soup! This soup is loaded with chicken, 3 cheese tortellini, celery, carrots and a whole lot of flavor. It is a creamy soup that will leave you warm and full!

I am a huge fan of soup! I can easily eat it year round, even in 100 degree weather! While I love all types of soup, my most favorite are creamy soups! This Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup has everything I love in a soup. It has a creamy soup base, is full of 3 cheese tortellini, chicken, carrots, celery and has simple, but amazing flavor.

Creamy Soup Base for Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

If you have ever made a creamy soup you know you must first make a roux. If you have never made a roux it is simple. It is the same thing you will use for any creamy sauce, gravy or soup base.

A basic roux is made with some melted butter and flour. It is then heated for a few minutes for the flour taste to cook out, and then a liquid is added. After the liquid is added, make sure it is whisked and there are no lumps. Let it cook and heat until it starts to thicken.

For this recipe we use chicken broth and heavy cream! Yes, this soup has calories, it is not a broth base soup! But it is so creamy and yummy!

The amount of time it takes your soup base to thicken can vary. It usually takes mine anywhere from 15-20 minutes. If you are doubling the recipe it will take longer. Just be patient. Every stove cooks a little bit different and every recipe can vary a little bit.

If it never thickens (or you want it thicker), you can make a cold water and cornstarch slurry and add it to the simmering hot soup. See recipe below for details.

Yummy Ingredients for your Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

I love this soup! I add cooked diced chicken, 3 cheese tortellini, carrots, celery, and parmesan cheese (fresh grated, not bottled). To season the soup I add some onions, garlic and seasonings.

To prepare you ingredients, just cook up your chicken and dice it into smaller piece. Cut up your carrots, onion and celery into bite sized pieces (or larger if your prefer). Don’t forget to grate your cheese ahead of time so it is ready to add when needed.

The Tortellini for your Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

For the 3 cheese tortellini, I use a 20 oz. fresh package from the grocery store. I find mine usually over by the deli section in the refrigerated area. I have seen tortellini also in the frozen section, this would work fine. And finally, I have seen dried 3 cheese tortellini by the other dried pastas on the pasta aisle. I have only found the dried tortellini in 16 oz. packages only. So you will probably want to add more than one package.

If you are using fresh pasta, just add it to the soup as the recipe states. It will cook through while the soup heats. If your tortellini is frozen, just let it thaw on the counter while you are preparing everything and making the soup. Then just add it in as the recipe states and let it cook in the soup.

If you want to add some more things that are delicious in this soup, you can add: diced potatoes, spinach, corn, fresh cooked and crumbled bacon bits, or green onions added to each serving!

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is the perfect fall and winter soup! This soup is loaded with chicken, 3 cheese tortellini, celery, carrots and a whole lot of flavor. It is a creamy soup that will leave you warm and full!

For some other delicious creamy soups try my Cheesy Potato Soup or My Cheesy Hamburger Soup.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is the perfect fall and winter soup! This soup is loaded with chicken, 3 cheese tortellini, celery, carrots and a whole lot of flavor. It is a creamy soup that will leave you warm and full!

Recipe makes about 2 1/2 quarts of soup, so about 10 (1 cup) servings.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (20 oz) package 3 Cheese Tortellini
• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cooked and diced into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, diced into small pieces
• 1 cup celery, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream *half and half works too
• 3 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick or 1/4 cup)
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced, *or 2 tsp bottled minced garlic
• 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated *fresh wedge, not bottled
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt *more or less to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper *more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
• some additional add-ins (optional): potatoes, spinach, corn, green onions, bacon bits see notes

Instructions

• In a large soup pot, melt your butter over medium heat and add your flour. Whisk it until it is thick. It should be almost like a thick paste.
• Add your onion and garlic to the flour and butter mixture. Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring it occasionally.
• Add in your chicken broth and heavy creamy. Stir/whisk making sure it all mixed and there are no lumps. Reduce heat to medium-low heat.
• Add your chicken, tortellini, celery and carrots. Mix well and let it cook and heat in the soup until the carrots are tender and tortellini are cooked fully. Let the soup heat and it should thicken a bit. Your soup should start to simmer and bubble a bit on medium-low heat. If not, turn up the heat to medium.
• Keep whisking/stirring so the soup doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add in your parmesan cheese once the soup starts to bubble and is thickened. Stir the cheese in until fully melted. The soup can take up to 30 minutes to thicken.

  NOTE: If your soup hasn't thickened, (or you want it thicker after the tortellini has cooked fully), then you can add a cornstarch slurry. Just mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix it together. Then add the cornstarch slurry to your hot bubbly soup. Give it a few minutes to thicken and then repeat again if you want it even thicker.
• Season your soup with salt, pepper and basil and adjust to taste.

Notes

See blog post above for options on your tortellini.

If you are adding potatoes to this soup they can cook as the soup heats and thickens.  Just add them with the tortellini.  Let the soup cook and heat the potatoes and tortellini until they are both done to your liking.  Just note the larger the potato pieces the longer they will need to cook in the soup.  You can also boil them in water and let them cook a little bit before adding them to the soup.

If you are adding corn just add it in the last few minutes so it can heat through.  

If adding spinach, add it at the very end.

If you are adding bacon, add it at the end.  Make sure the bacon is fully cooked and crumbled.

If adding green onions, you can add them to the soup for each serving.