Chicken Tortellini Soup
A savory chicken soup filled with tender vegetables, cheese tortellini, and a blend of herbs and seasonings. It can be prepared on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
Print Pin Servings: 10
Ingredients
Seasonings
- 1 tsp EACH: dried basil, dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp EACH: dried oregano, mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp EACH: ground sage, pepper
Soup
- 1 1/4 lb bone-in chicken breast, see notes
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3/4 cup diced carrots
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 10 oz refrigerated tortellini, about 2 cups
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Searing the chicken is optional. You can add raw or previously cooked chicken directly to the broth later in the recipe. Searing it first, however, leaves browned bits in the pot that add flavor to the broth and gives portions of the chicken additional color and texture.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a 4 ½-quart soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken in the pot and sear for 3–4 minutes per side, allowing it to develop some browning. Transfer it from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken with two forks. It does not need to be completely cooked in the center at this stage because it will continue cooking in the soup.
- Combine the dried seasonings and set them aside.
- Add the butter to the same pot and let it melt. Use a silicone spatula to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and prepared seasoning mixture. Cook for 1 additional minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Bring the soup to a very gentle bubble rather than a full boil, which can make the chicken tougher. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the refrigerated tortellini and continue simmering until it is cooked through, following the package directions for timing. Rana refrigerated tortellini takes approximately 3 minutes.Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add up to ½ teaspoon salt, if desired, then serve.
Slow Cooker Method
- For the slow cooker version, the chicken does not need to be seared first. Fresh chicken is preferable to leftover chicken because already-cooked chicken may dry out during several hours of slow cooking.
- Melt the butter in the Crock Pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, tossing everything so the vegetables are coated.
- Add the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, uncooked chicken, and chicken broth.
- Cook on low for 6 hours. Low heat is recommended for more tender chicken. If needed, cook on high for 4 hours instead.
- Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the soup.
- Add the tortellini and cook for another 10–15 minutes, until the pasta has expanded and is cooked through. Serve.
