Chicken Tortellini Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 10, 2025 
Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe – Packed with vibrant vegetables, tender chicken, and the comforting flavors of three-cheese tortellini, this soup is a hearty hug in a bowl. With a touch of cream and fresh spinach, this recipe brings together wholesome ingredients for a deliciously satisfying meal that’s perfect for a cozy night.
Why We Love This Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
There is nothing, nothing, as comforting as walking into the house after a long day to the wafting aroma of chicken tortellini soup. Today’s Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is a healthified version of a heavier cream-based soup.
I haven’t removed the essential elements that make it special such as tender chicken, hearty cheese tortellini, and even a little cream. I’ve just reduced certain ingredients, so you can feel good about serving this Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup to your family. And maybe even having seconds.
Ingredients You Need
- Extra virgin olive oil – the most flavorful olive oil
- Large sweet onion – peeled and chopped
- Red bell pepper – seeded and chopped
- Carrots – sliced
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – or boneless chicken thighs
- Chicken broth – low sodium chicken broth
- Three-cheese tortellini pasta
- Heavy cream – or use half and half
- Packed frozen spinach – or 1/2-3/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- Fresh parsley – chopped
- Dried thyme leaves – or fresh thyme leaves
- Red pepper – crushed
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How To Make Chicken Tortellini Soup
This Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is quick and easy to make, yet offers so much wow factor, your family will ask for it again and again!
- Saute. Place a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped onions. Saute for 3 minutes to soften. Then add the chopped bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. Saute another 3 minutes.
- Simmer. Add whole raw chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and ground black pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat a little and simmer for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
- Cook Pasta. Turn the heat back to medium. With the broth still simmering, stir in the DeLallo Three Cheese Tortellini. Stir well so it doesn’t stick together. Then chop or shred the chicken and place it back in the soup.
- Cream and Season. Once the tortellini is cooked through, about 10-14 minutes, turn off the heat. Stir in heavy cream, spinach, and parsley. Add a little more cream if desired. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Get the Full (Printable) How to Make Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe + VIDEO. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Protein Swap – Instead of chicken breast, use rotisserie chicken for a quicker option or substitute with shredded turkey or diced ham. For a vegetarian twist, replace the chicken with chickpeas or white beans for added protein.
- Vegetable Boost – Feel free to add more veggies! Zucchini, diced potatoes, or green beans can be great additions. You can also incorporate seasonal vegetables like kale or butternut squash for extra nutrition and flavor.
- Different Tortellini – While this recipe calls for three-cheese tortellini, you can use other flavors like spinach and ricotta or meat-filled tortellini for a different taste and texture.
- Cream Alternatives – If you want to lighten the dish even more, you can use half-and-half, almond milk, or coconut cream instead of heavy cream.
- Herb Variations – To change the flavor profile, experiment with different herbs like basil, oregano, or rosemary. Fresh herbs can elevate the dish and provide a fresh burst of flavor.
- Cheesy Finish – Top the soup with freshly grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese before serving for an extra cheesy delight.
Serving Suggestions For Tortellini Soup
Easy chicken noodle soup can be served on its own, since it has protein, carbs, and veggies all in one dish! However, you can serve it with many side dishes to make it a heartier meal! Try pairing it with some of my favorites:
- Homemade Biscuits
- Garlic Bread
- Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
- Chimichurri Tomato Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Easy Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store this recipe in your fridge, inside an airtight container, for 3 to 4 days.
You can freeze it with the pasta. Just make sure to thaw it at room temperature, undisturbed, before stirring or reheating. If you try to heat and thaw at the same time, the tortellini will disintegrate.
Yes! Make sure to sauté the veggies on the stovetop first. Then slow cook the soup (without the pasta) for 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low. Add the pasta to the crock pot only 30 minutes before serving.
Yes! In a pinch, adding leftover or rotisserie chicken is a great idea. Be sure to add it in when you add the tortellini.
Looking for More Chicken Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Chicken Detox Soup
- Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Rice Soup
- Italian Chicken Orzo Soup
- Chimichurri Chicken Lentil Soup
- Healthy Chicken White Bean Soup
- Lean Green Chicken Soup
- Spicy Thai Chicken Soup
- Chicken Barely and Kale Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Ramen Noodles
- Chinese Hot Pots
- Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
- Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Low Carb)
- Southwest Detox Soup
- Green Curry Chicken Soup
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Famous Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken and Dumplings Soup
- Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Low Carb Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup
- Skinny Chicken Fajita Soup
- Skinny Creamy Chicken Broccoli Soup
- Chicken Cacciatore Soup
Check the Recipe Card Below for Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe + VIDEO. Enjoy!
Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups carrots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (2 large breasts)
- 9 cups chicken broth
- 8.8 ounces DeLallo Three-Cheese Tortellini Pasta
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons packed frozen spinach or 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped onions. Saute for 3 minutes to soften. Then add the chopped bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. Saute another 3 minutes.
- Add whole raw chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat a little and simmer 15 minutes, until the chicken in cooked through. Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
- Turn the heat back to medium. With the broth still simmering, stir in the DeLallo Three Cheese Tortellini. Stir well so it doesn’t stick together. Then chop or shred the chicken and place back in the soup.
- Once the tortellini is cooked through, about 10-14 minutes, turn off the heat. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream, spinach, and parsley. Add a little more cream if desired. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
This is such a delicious soup also a great article about every detail related to this soup.
Thanks Sommer Collier
Can you please help to explain how the carb and calorie is so high? The ingredients have low calorie and carb counts. Thank you.
I loved it minus the thyme. I didn’t realize how much I hate that flavor. It took over the whole soup! I’ll try it again next time with the smallest smallest smallest dash of thyme. Thyme is the worst.
I also don’t care for the flavor of thyme, so I use basil with good results. Maybe a little less than called for with the thyme.
This is soooo yummy!! Just made it tonight! I skipped the red peppers due to an allergy and used rotisserie chicken! Winner!!
Left out bell peppers and also red pepper flakes. My kids don’t like spicy food so I add them as garnish to mine. One of our families favorite soups! Great with garlic knots bread or Texas toast.
It was so good! I made it for my mom and she loved it! Thanks!
haven’t made this yet. Is it necessary to add the spinach?
Delicioso. Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing this Puerto Rican chicken and rice, this one is so amazing. We tried it for the very first time and everyone loved it in my family.
This is one of my favorite recipes. Do you think marinated jerk chicken thighs would be good in this recipe?
Hi Shelly!
Wow, I haven’t tried that so it’s hard to say. But if you test it out, please report back. :)
Can you use frozen tortellini
Hi Margie!
Yes, you can. Just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions. :)
On your point about stirring the tortellini to not stick together, you could first put the tortellini in a bowl, and a bit of olive oil, and stir it around to get an even distribution. You can also put it in a container with a lid, add the torts and olive oil, put the lid on and shake it around.
This is my first time making tortellini soup and it was a home run. I may have changed this recipe too much to give it an honest review but we love the results regardless. I used homemade chicken and chicken stock I had frozen earlier in the year instead of using raw chicken breasts and stock. The dried thyme was perfect in this soup and so was the amount of cream. It was just enough and did not make it really creamy. I also used chicken tortellini because my family is not fond of the cheese. It was very good and I served it with a crusty Italian bread. A keeper recipe for sure.
This recipe is perfection. I added basil and Italian seasoning and a tad bit of butter to the pan before sautéing the onions and garlic. Otherwise I made it exactly like it says and it was unbelievably good, the kind of thing that you’d order in a nice Italian restaurant, but homemade is better.
Finished it off with a tablespoon of freshly grated Romano and served with slices of homemade “everything” French bread.