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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Every single time I make soup, it never lasts long. This creamy chicken tortellini soup is no exception. I cannot front, this soup is truly phenomenal. Richly flavored, soothing, soulful, and super comforting. Rotisserie chicken allows this to be fuss-free, and the way it bathes in the creamy broth and soaks up even more flavor, comes together like the perfect song. It’s seriously a beautiful bowl of comfort, and I know you’ll love it.

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It basically starts off as a typical chicken soup. But then I do what I always do, which is the most. My signature flavor profile gets chucked into the pot, and magic happens. You may not think every component is necessary, but it’s what allows this soup to be very special. When you taste it, you’ll find that nothing is missing and every note has been hit. However, if there’s something you’re missing, you could probably just leave it out or substitute it with another ingredient. 

We’re not aiming for a thick soup here. I mean, you can do what you want, but I think you’ll appreciate the velvety texture over something super thick and stew’like. The heavy cream adds richness and more body, and the starch from the tortellini also lends a hand in the overall texture. You can always add more broth to thin it out if it gets too crowded. 

I don’t recommend using frozen tortellini for this recipe, so please try to find fresh. It’s available damn near everywhere, trust me. 

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Most of what we’re using.

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Melt the butter down with the crushed red pepper flakes and herbs de provence.

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Toss in the onion along with a big pinch of flaky kosher salt and black pepper.

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Saute until softened just slightly.

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Throw in the red bell peppers, carrots and celery. Make sure everything is coated in butter and well seasoned.

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Cover and let the veggies cook until just softened around the edges, about 8 minutes or so.

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Nice and softened but not mushy at all! The onions should be translucent too.

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Add the fresh thyme, sage, and garlic.

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Cook for about a minute, just until the garlic gets fragrant. If at any point you need to add a tiny bit more fat, drizzle in some olive oil. not too much, just a tablespoon or so.

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Dump in the flour.

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Stir until all the veggies are coated with the flour, cook for about a minute or less.

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Pour in the chicken stock, stirring continuously to prevent lumps.

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Add the bay leaves.

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Throw in the cayenne and onion powder, too.

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Stir until everything is well combine. Bring to a simmer.

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Cover and let the soup simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed. It shouldn’t be at a rolling boil, but a medium simmer is perfect. Covering it allows the veggies (mainly the carrots) to cook a bit faster.

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Test the veggies to make sure they’re tender, but not mushy! Also, adjust the seasoning at this point too. Add more salt if needed, etc.

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Dump the tortellini in.

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Stir and cook for about a minute.

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Add the heavy cream (or half and half).

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Simmer for a couple minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked through.

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Add the fresh spinach and stir it in until its completely wilted.

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Add that lovely shredded chicken.

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Stir stir stir, and adjust the consistency of the soup at this point. If you need more liquid, add a little more stock.

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Remove the bay leaves.

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Add the lemon zest and nutmeg. Adjust seasoning one final time. If you feel the soup needs just a tiny bit of acidity to balance all the flavors, add the white wine vinegar or a tiny squirt of fresh lemon juice.

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Necessary pantry staples: onion powder, granulated garlic, flaky kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, herbs de provence, fresh nutmeg. You should absolutely have every single last one of those in 2019, and they’re all being used for this recipe.

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I wish I could put into words how delicious this chicken tortellini soup is, but you’re going to have to trust me — or just make it!

It’s freezing, and it’s soup and stew season. Try to keep fresh onions, lemons, carrots, celery, peppers and other aromatics in stock so you can whip up any soup whenever you feel like it. Change this recipe up to use ingredients you love and/or prefer. This creamy chicken tortellini soup is a dressed up chicken soup recipe, so feel free to strip it down to the very basics if you just want that comforting classic.

Check out these other great soup recipes:

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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup 27

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup


  • Author: Chef Resha
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6 to 8 large bowls

Description

This creamy rotisserie chicken tortellini soup will hug your soul, it’s so damn good and super easy to create. Make your life easier by grabbing a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store, trust me!


Ingredients

Units
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
  • 1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces (a heaping cup)
  • 2 long celery stalks, diced (a heaping cup)
  • 68 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 6 cups good quality chicken stock (plus more if needed to adjust consistency)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 12 to 16 ounces fresh cheese tortellini (SEE NOTE)
  • 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 5oz bag fresh baby spinach
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (SEE NOTE)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (SEE NOTE)
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
  • Zest from one lemon
  • Flaky kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

To prep: Make sure the onion and red bell pepper are chopped at relatively the same size. Slice your celery down the middle lengthwise and chop into half-inch pieces. You want to make sure all the veggies are relatively the same size so they cook evenly. Don’t be afraid to add the leafy parts of the celery to the soup, they’re full of flavor. You can either slice or mince the garlic, whichever you prefer. I personally love thinly shaved garlic, but garlic is garlic. Do what you feel.

Pull as much meat from your rotisserie chicken as you want, but make sure you use at least 2 cups. I personally used three, and I included both the white and dark meat and some pieces of skin. You can totally leave the skin out if you prefer. You can shred the chicken or shop it. Personally, I think you’ll prefer the mouthfeel of the shredded chicken, give it a try! It feels silky in your mouth.

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and herbs de provence to the butter to infuse and release their flavors.
  2. When the butter is foamy and fragrant, add the diced onion along with a nice big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Sauté the onion until softened slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the red bell pepper, celery, and carrots. Stir everything to make sure all the veggies are nicely coated in butter. Add another pinch of flaky kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the pot and allow the veggies to steam and soften for about 6 to 8 minutes. 
  3. Test a large piece of carrot by biting into it. It should be firm but softened a bit. It will continue to cook later, but we just want to make sure they’re not rock hard at this point. If at any point you need to add a little extra fat, drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil. 
  4. Add the fresh sage, fresh thyme, and garlic. Stir to combine, cooking out the raw flavor of the garlic for about a minute. Stir in the all-purpose flour, making sure each veggie is coated. Cook for just about a minute, then pour in the chicken stock. Continue stirring to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. Stir to combine. Cover and and let simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes to allow the flour to give body to the soup. Adjust the heat if you realize your soup is simmering too hard. The texture you’re aiming for is that of canned chicken soup, where it’s “soupy” but velvety, with body. Remove the lid and continue simmering for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the veggies (mainly the carrots) are tender but not mushy. Taste the soup for salt and pepper levels, and adjust accordingly. 
  5. Add the fresh cheese tortellini, stirring to emerge each piece in the soup. Allow the tortellini to cook for about a minute, then pour in the heavy cream (or half and half). Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach, then add the shredded rotisserie chicken. Continue to cook the soup for a few more minutes, or until the chicken is fully warmed through. 
  6. Remove the bay leaves, and add the fresh nutmeg and lemon zest. Taste the soup and if you need to add a little acidity to balance the flavors, pour in a tiny bit of white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice (about 2 teaspoons to a tablespoon) to brighten the flavor. Adjust salt and pepper at this time also. When the soup is giving you a hug in your mouth, it’s ready. Turn off the heat and serve. 
  7. Enjoy! Store any leftover soup in plastic quart containers, or freeze in gallon-size ziploc bags for up to a month.

Notes

You can find fresh cheese tortellini in your groceries refrigerated section. If all else fails, ASK someone who works there where it’s located.

Feel free to use as much chicken as you prefer! That amount is totally up to you. We love chicken, so we used almost all of the meat. I recommend you start with two cups at the very least, both dark and white meat.

Freshly ground nutmeg that you have to grate yourself is always best. If you have pre-ground nutmeg, please use a very tiny pinch! It’s far more finely ground than what you can do by hand.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
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Recipe rating

  1. Danak Dabonne says:

    Resha, I made this for dinner tonight. I tripled the ingredients since I’m having a couple of people over. My mouth thanks you sincerely. You da best!

  2. Beebz says:

    You’ve saved dinner @ our house time and time again. Love your range and creativity. Came to Carnal Dish in search of a yummy chicken noodle soup for some flu comfort and this did NOT disappoint. Like you could ever! That zest of lemon realllllly does something. Thank you! Xo

  3. Jolanda says:

    This recipe is EVERYTHING! I made this today for my boo who’s currently under the weather and it’s gone! Can’t wait to create this again, you are and have always been the BEST, Resha!

  4. Keona G says:

    I made this recipe and my two hardest critics (my 15 and 17y/o daughters) both said it was very good. No one expected it to be as good as it was. This is savory, has a little kick and very nostalgic. This recipe is a keeper (and better than my mom’s).

  5. Michelle says:

    Feeling under the weather but I got up enough strength to get in the kitchen and make this soup. Chef Resha recipes always kicks in my house so needless to say the soup came out amazingly delicious! Thank you Sis!

  6. Michelle B. says:

    My family loves this soup. Even my two year old who is hard to please.

  7. Lydia says:

    So easy to make and friggin delicious!!

  8. MONICA ESTRADA says:

    Soooo Good, very easy to make

  9. Cam says:

    SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good I am already planning on making it again very soon. I have been telling any and everybody about how good this recipe is.

  10. MONICA ESTRADA says:

    Came out amazing!!! My boyfriend that doesn’t eat chicken couldn’t resist!

  11. MyLynda says:

    I made this two days ago, and everyone loved it! It was easy to make. My hardest critic/picky 4-year-old eater had two bowls then woke up in the morning and asked to have another bowl for breakfast. I made the layer biscuits with it, and they both went well together.

  12. Dauna Steward says:
    Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.
    Could I do this in a crockpot how?