Chicken Tortellini Soup

5 from 6 votes

This Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe with tortellini is so easy to make from scratch and is my absolute favorite soup recipe!

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, soup, tortellini

Servings: servings

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

1 large soup pot

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds skin-on bone-in chicken legs or thighs
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth preferably not low-sodium, best quality
1 medium onion chopped (Sweet or Vidalia)
3 carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 celery ribs cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
fresh thyme sprig If you have any on hand
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
fresh dill optional (if you have any on hand)
10 oz. refrigerated tortellini about 2 cups

Instructions

Brown chicken: Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the chicken in the pot, skin-side down, and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook 4 minutes more.
Add broth and vegetables: Add the broth, onion, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Stir to combine using a wooden spoon and scrape any browned bits from bottom of the pan.
Bring to boil: Bring the broth to a boil, cover partially, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (up to 30-60 minutes for legs, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the drumsticks).
Shred chicken: Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Remove the chicken from the soup and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the chicken off the bone, using two forks to shred it into bite-size pieces.
Add back to soup: Return the chicken to the soup and bring it to a simmer to heat it up while you cook the tortellini.
Cook tortellini: Cook up the tortellini (check the package instructions for timing, and cook a minute less). I prefer to cook it in a separate pot. Cook until it is not quite al dente and drain. The tortellini will continue cooking in the hot broth so be sure not to overcook them. IF you plan to eat the whole pot of soup, you could cook the tortellini in the broth. IF not, the tortellini will get mushy if you store it in leftover broth.
Serve up the soup: Add cooked tortellini to bowls while and ladle in the soup. Taste and if needed, add any seasonings if desired, including up to ½ teaspoon of salt.
Add more herbs: add any extra chopped parsley or dill.

Notes

Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup could be made and stored for up to 3 days. Do not make the tortellini ahead of time. Store the chicken in a separate container in the fridge, and add to the soup before serving. If planning on having lots of leftovers, just cook up tortellini day you're serving broth. You can also freeze the soup for up to 2-3 months (without the tortellini).
Broth: It is a nice portion of broth. Keep in mind some of the broth does cook down. It may seem to be too much, but you will be adding in the tortellini. If you like it with less broth, just use less than what I recommend. You could always freeze any extra broth.
Tortellini: The tortellini keep on soaking up broth as they sit in it, so it is best to serve and eat as soon as it's cooked up. You could cook up the tortellini right in the broth. Just bring broth to a boil when chicken is cooked up and add in the tortellini. Depending on the brand, they will cook up in a few minutes.
Serves: Serves 4-6 depending on portion size/what it’s served with.
Slow cooker/Crock Pot: Read my slow cooker instructions in the post.

Nutrition