This slow cooker chicken tortellini soup is full of chicken, veggies and cheese tortellini, all simmered together in the crock pot. A family friendly dinner option that takes just minutes to put together.
When it’s cold outside, I find myself making soup every week. Some of our favorites include taco soup, vegetable beef soup, and this hearty chicken tortellini version.
To me, chicken noodle soup is a classic recipe that never gets old. This chicken tortellini soup is a take on the old favorite with plenty of chicken and veggies, but it also contains cheese tortellini instead of the more traditional egg noodles. My whole family loves this soup, and I love that it’s super easy to make in my slow cooker. This tortellini soup will definitely be on our regular rotation in the cold weather months.
How do you make chicken tortellini soup?
This soup starts with boneless skinless chicken breasts, carrots, celery and onions. The chicken and veggies go into the crockpot with herbs, spices and chicken broth. Then you simply need to set the slow cooker and go about your day. At the end of the day when you’re ready to eat, shred the chicken breasts and return them to the soup. The final step is to add fresh cheese tortellini to the pot and cook the pasta until it’s ready. Grab a ladle and dinner is served!
Tips for chicken tortellini soup
- I always use fresh cheese tortellini for this recipe because they cook a lot faster than the frozen kind. If you only have frozen on hand, it will still work, you’ll just need to add an additional 10 minutes to the cook time.
- Cut the vegetables into larger pieces so they won’t get overly soft during the long cooking time.
- This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the pasta will continue to absorb the broth as it sits, so you may need to add more broth upon reheating.
- You can chop up your vegetable the night before to save on prep time in the morning.
- This soup can also be made on the stove top. Simply saute the vegetables in a tablespoon of butter, then add diced raw chicken to the pot. Add the broth and seasonings, then cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Stir in the tortellini, simmer for a few minutes until tender, then serve.
Tortellini Soup Variations
I love this recipe as-is, but there are so many different ways to customize it to your tastes.
- Protein: Try chicken thighs or chicken sausage instead of chicken breasts.
- Vegetables: You can add all different vegetables to the mix such as spinach, zucchini, green beans, peas or corn.
- Pasta: Other flavors of tortellini can be used instead of the cheese variety, or try mini ravioli for a fun twist!
Once you try this soup, you’ll find yourself making it all winter long. It’s the perfect blend of flavors all conveniently located in one pot.
More soup recipes you’ll love
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Chicken Tortellini Soup Video
Chicken Tortellini Soup (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 3 stalks celery sliced
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 9 ounce package cheese tortellini
- optional: chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Place the onion, carrots, celery, chicken breasts, garlic, salt , pepper, thyme, parsley and chicken broth in a slow cooker.
- Cook for 3-4 hours on HIGH or 6-8 hours on LOW. Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks, then return to the soup.
- Add the tortellini to the slow cooker and cook for 10-15 minutes more or until they are puffy and heated through.
- Serve, garnished with parsley if desired.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 11, 2017 and was updated on November 13, 2019 with new content.
Can you freeze this once prepared and save for later? If so would you make any changes to it?
I’d probably freeze the chicken and vegetable mixture in the broth, then once it’s thawed and on the stove reheating, add the tortellini at that time.
Hi! Do you have any suggestions for cooking this in a 4.5 crock pot? I’m not sure how to scale the recipe down to a smaller size. Thanks!
Are you referring to a 4.5 quart crock pot? The photos and videos in this post are in a 4 quart crock pot, so 4.5 is fine.
I love this soup and have made it multiple times, especially on a cozy rainy day!
If I decide to put spinach in, would I wait until the end or at the same time as everything else?
Have used this recipe a few times, and every time it’s a hit! My youngest (who hates vegetables) asks for this when he’s not feeling well and eats every bite. Thank you!
I love simple and yummy recipes. This is a simple and yummy recipe. Comfort good for a fall day.
This recipe was wonderful! I didn’t have dried parsley so I used fresh. I would also add an extra cup of chicken broth next time because it was so hearty. This was great for leftovers too!
This is a family favorite at my house!
Perfect seasoning, just delicious! The whole family loved it!
This is my go•too chicken noodle soup recipe. My family absolutely loves it! I was never a soup person before, but this recipe converted me! The only variation that I do-is that I add a Parmesan rind. It slow infuses into the broth and makes it burst with flavor!
Fantastic recipe! The family inhaled it!