Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
Slow cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup is a wintertime classic for a reason! Chock full of veggies, chicken and fresh tortellini, this homemade soup is easy to make and even easier to share with the people you love. Makes 6-8 servings.
Looking for more soups highlighting chicken? We love Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Spaetzle Soup and Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings!
2020 update: This originally appeared on My Cooking Spot, where I was a contributor, in August 2014. It was republished in January 2020 with new images, an updated recipe and more tips and tricks. I hope you enjoy it!
Slow cooker soup: into it or not so much?
I’m into it. (“Surprise!” said no one ever.)
This classic Chicken Tortellini Soup is a fan-favorite at our house, and for a reason: it’s insanely comforting, chock full of my favorite veggies and shredded chicken… and is finished with a favorite pasta, too.
We’ve been making this recipe for years, and I wanted to present it to y’all to enjoy all throughout the wintertime.
Other soup recipes we love this time of year: Potato and Leek Soup | Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup | Instant Pot French Onion Soup | Turkey Taco Soup | Broccoli Cheddar Soup | Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup | Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Looking for another winter dish, but don’t know where to begin? Check out my Winter Recipe Index.
What you need to make this recipe:
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- A sharp knife and a cutting board
- A slow cooker or Instant Pot (notes on the variations are in the recipe card and in this post for you)
- A nonstick skillet (if using a traditional slow cooker without a Saute function)
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here are the ingredients you need to grab at the store:
- Extra virgin olive oil — or another neutral oil to cook the veggies down in. You could also use the same amount of unsalted butter, if desired.
- Onions — you need two of these. I recommend using yellow or white onions.
- Celery — you need about four ribs or stalks.
- Carrot — one large one will do the trick. Be sure to use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from it before dicing finely.
- Liquid — I like using a combination of water and vegetable stock in this soup. You can swap it all for low-sodium chicken broth or stock, if you prefer. I reworked this recipe in 2020, so some ingredients were hard to find, which is why I went half water and stock.
- Chicken — I used chicken breasts in this recipe, but you could use the same amount of boneless skinless chicken thighs, if you prefer.
- Fresh thyme — this adds such brightness and wonderful flavor. Please don’t skip it!
- Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt, like Diamond Crystal, is my go-to for recipes these days. You can use a similarly sized sea salt. Table salt is saltier than kosher, so if you plan to use that, use a little less.
- Mural of Flavor or another salt-free poultry seasoning — this adds more depth of flavor to the soup. There is no substitute.
- Cheese tortellini — or your favorite type of tortellini, if you prefer. Spinach and cheese tortellini is excellent in this soup recipe, too.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
First and foremost, dice your veggies using a sharp knife.
You want them to be finely diced so that you don’t have giant chunks of them floating around in your final soup (unless, of course, that’s your jam, and if that’s the case, feel free to do a rough chop on ’em instead.)
Saute the veggies in a skillet on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Make sure to add the oil to the pan first so that they don’t stick, and let ’em cook for 10-15 minutes until they are translucent.
Put together the soup ingredients in the pot.
This means you’ll add the chicken breasts whole, as well as the water and the stock ON TOP of the veggies that you just sauteed. (If you didn’t saute the veggies in the Instant Pot, add them in now.)
This includes the spices. Feel free to add a little cracked pepper, if desired.
Pour the water and stock on top of the other ingredients.
Let it cook low and slow for six hours.
When the soup has finished cooking, shred the tender chicken using a fork.
Add the uncooked tortellini to the slow cooker/Instant Pot.
Cover, and let it cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the tortellini has cooked through.
Make sure to test it before you serve!
When everything is warmed through, serve immediately in bowls.
How to store:
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The tortellini will soak up the broth, so it will be extremely soft and you might need to add more broth to any leftovers you have.
Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips and Tricks
Soup is a wonderful dish to serve to friends during the winter months because generally speaking, soup recipes make a ton! We love serving this Chicken Tortellini Soup because it’s so easy to put together (and it cooks low and slow.)
Serve it with your favorite homemade bread (or a store-bought one) and invite your people over for a comforting dinner!
Make it easy on yourself.
- Purchase pre-chopped veggies if you think chopping is going to stress you out.
- Another way to combat the morning of stress is to chop the veggies the night before so all you have to do is saute them in the morning.
You can make substitutions, too.
- If you cannot find Mural of Flavor, which is available at Penzey’s Spice stores and on Amazon, use another salt-free chicken seasoning. If you have a chicken seasoning that is NOT salt-free, omit the salt from the recipe and do a taste test before adding some, as it might be salty enough for you without the extra salt.
- Swap out the raw chicken for rotisserie chicken to make this a faster soup recipe!
- No vegetable stock? Use water or chicken stock instead. If using chicken stock, just make sure it’s the low-sodium kind. (Or the salt-free.)
- Add some garlic to the pot along with the other veggies for more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not necessary, but I like the depth of flavor it adds to the soup. If you don’t want to saute the vegetables, it won’t make this soup taste bad, so you do you.
You’re going to follow the same instructions that you’d use for the slow cooker and use it on the slow cooker setting. Confirm that it’s on the highest setting for the slow cooker, as the Instant Pot’s temperatures vary from a classic slow cooker.
At this time, I do not advise making this Chicken Tortellini Soup on the Pressure Cook setting, as I have not tried it myself.
What should I serve alongside this Chicken Tortellini Soup?
If you’re hosting a crowd, check out these 9 Easy Bruschetta Recipes for a Winter Party because you can never go wrong with bruschetta.
If you want to serve some bread, we love Quick Rosemary Drop Biscuits, as well as Soft Homemade Parmesan Bread Sticks when paired with this soup.
Looking for a fresh side, like a salad? I highly recommend a Kale Caesar Salad (without the chicken since your soup has plenty of protein!)
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions diced finely (about 2 ½ cups)
- 4 celery stalks diced finely (about 1 ¼ cups)
- 1 large carrot diced finely (about 1 cup)
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Mural of Flavor or another salt-free poultry seasoning
- 1 lb. cheese tortellini
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Instructions
- Dice the veggies finely using a sharp knife.
- Heat the oil in a skillet or in the Instant Pot on the Saute setting. Add the vegetables when the oil is hot, and saute for 10-15 minutes, or until translucent.
- Pour in the water and stock. Add the chicken breasts whole. Add the thyme, salt and poultry seasoning, too.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker/Instant pot, and cook on low for at least 6 hours. (If using the Instant Pot, cover and set for 6 hours on the highest slow cooker setting.)
- Once the soup has finished cooking, shred the chicken.
- Add the uncooked tortellini, and let it cook in the warm soup for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to cover the slow cooker/Instant Pot as it cooks.
- Test the tortellini to confirm it’s cooked through, then enjoy warm.
Notes
- If you cannot find Mural of Flavor, which is available at Penzey’s Spice stores and on Amazon, you can use another salt-free chicken seasoning. If you have a chicken seasoning that is NOT salt-free, omit the salt from the recipe and do a taste test before adding some, as it might be salty enough for you without the extra salt.
- No vegetable stock? Use water or chicken stock instead. If using chicken stock, just make sure it’s the low-sodium kind. (Or the salt-free.)
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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