Italian Tortellini Soup With Shredded Chicken
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
A hot bowl of Tortellini soup with shredded chicken breast in a broth base is perfect for cold nights or when you want a meal in under 30 minutes that your family will love.
Italian Tortellini Soup With Shredded Moist Chicken
Since the winter chill has set in, we have started making soup like this effortless tortellini soup in the CBB house.
There’s comfort in a hot bowl of soup that makes you smile with that feel-good feeling inside as the broth greets your body.
Born somewhere in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, Tortellini has become a family favourite worldwide.
There’s one thing about this beautiful Italian pasta that you should know.
If the package says Tortellini, it is filled with a meat mixture, whereas the other is filled with cheese.
It is also filled with spinach, ricotta cheese, and various other fillings.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, I can’t say enough about tortellini, as it’s one of my favourite kinds of pasta.
Back home in the UK, when times were tough, and I was trying to pay a mortgage along with the bills Tortellini was one of my budget meals.
I could buy a pack of frozen Tortellini for about 1 Canadian dollar 14 years ago, which filled me up.
We can find Tortellini or Tortelloni in the freezer section of almost every Canadian grocery store.
Again, this price is under $3, although buying the Kirkland five cheese tortellini from Costco will cost more.
Our favourite freezer tortelloni are Olivieri, President’s Choice tortellini, and Ziggys tortellini.
You may find that the Ziggys brand is the least expensive of the four brands I’ve chosen.
Dry Tortellini vs. Frozen Tortellini
Below is a pot of dry tortellini broth soup for Sunday dinner as a starter.
As you can see, all of the Tortellini are dry manufactured, which keeps them in a standardized shape.
The photo below is the same soup made with frozen Tortellini.
If you prefer to purchase the dry Tortellini, it may be cheaper but takes longer to cook.
You’ll find dry Tortellini down the pasta section of your grocery store.
The choice is yours, and it wouldn’t be bad to test them both out.
Doing so lets you know whether buying dry Tortellini over frozen is a bargain.
I’ve always used frozen while working 12-plus hours a day and was exhausted.
All I wanted was quick and easy foods that didn’t cost me a fortune, and yes, I made sauce.
It wasn’t until I was married that Mrs. CBB introduced me to making tortellini soup.
I honestly never really thought about making soup because I enjoyed tortellini pasta.
Both are equally delicious and filling, with cheesy garlic toast or bread for dipping.
Making Fresh Italian Traditional Tortellini
If you’re fortunate to have a friend who will help you make fresh Tortellini, that’s the best.
I always find specific recipes that I make where Mrs. CBB helps and speeds up the process.
These days, families don’t have the time unless food prep happens on the weekend, but it’s time-consuming.
Over at Cooking Lessons From the Kitchen, you can see how Tortellini are made.
In today’s class, you will learn the fine art of rolling, stuffing, and shaping these fetching little dumplings, all for the eventual goal of serving them to your adoring fans.
No matter how tricky these tortellini look right now, I guarantee you will feel like a serious pasta-making pro once you step up to the pasta roller and turn out your first tray.
Although they are delicious, but not easy to make, so most consumers opt for frozen or dry.
Buy The Best Quality Parmigiano Cheese
Do it if you can squeeze some fresh non-grated Parmigiano cheese into your grocery budget.
A little goes a long way, and you’ll get the best-tasting pasta or soup with it.
You can find the cheese at most grocery stores in Canada, but you grate it yourself fresh.
I also freeze the blocks of Parmigiano in the freezer if I find a good deal at the grocery store.
As you can see in the photo, the Parmigiano cheese comes in a big wheel.
You must be strong enough to cut it with a big knife or a strong cheese wire.
Recipe Ideas for Tortellini or Tortolloni
Sometimes simple is better, which is why I love Tortellini so much.
It’s one of those filled pasta shapes that you can toss in whatever you’d like and eat it.
If you’re wondering if ravioli is the same, it’s not.
They are shaped differently, and the texture is different based on how they are made.
- Baked Tortellini with sauce and Parmigiano cheese casserole
- Pumpkin Tortellini in a cream sauce
- Tortellini and Sausage
- Shrimp and Tortellini
- Tortellini Alfredo
- Alforno Tortellini
- Tortellini in meat sauce (bolognese)
- Greek Tortellini Cold Pasta
- Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini
You can find all of the above on Pinterest and many more recipes.
Making Broth For Tortellini Soup
I make homemade bone broth from leftover chicken or beef bones whenever possible.
It’s handy to have on hand, but that’s not always the case for everyone.
Always keep some Knorr Oxo chicken cubes to use in a pinch.
We have chicken and beef soup base cubes at home, which cost about $1.99-$3.00.
If you shop at Food Basics, you can find other brands besides Knorr for much cheaper.
Another alternative is to buy the pre-made boxed soup broth for this recipe.
How To Make Italian Chicken Tortellini Soup
A printable version is below.
- Italian Tortellini Broth Soup With Shredded Chicken
- Recipe Type: Soup
- Cuisine: Italian
- Author: Mr.CBB
- Prep time: 35 mins
- Cook time: 8 mins
- Total time: 43 mins
- Serves: 4
A hot bowl of Tortellini soup with shredded chicken breast in a broth base is perfect for cold nights or when you want a meal in under 30 minutes that your family will love.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (pre-cook 2 chicken breasts seasoned with pepper and salt in a 350-degree oven until the middle is no longer pink. -Do this first.
- 1 package of Frozen tortellini or tortelloni (your choice) 1/2 pound, 225g.
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1 cup of sliced carrots
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 3 cups of chopped spinach or baby spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (add as much or little as you want)
Making The Tortellini Soup Instructions
- Add the butter, carrots, onion, and celery in a large pot on medium heat for 6 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and mix into the vegetables with the seasonings, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Pour 8 cups of chicken broth into the pot and stir to mix everything.
- Heat the broth until it’s a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the shredded chicken and the bag of frozen tortellini and cook until they are tender, for about 7 minutes. (you can also read the instructions on the back of the Tortellini brand for specific times.
- Test for seasoning to make sure you have it right. If not, add more of what you prefer.
- Add the spinach into the pot at the end, as it wilts quickly.
- Scoop out a bowl and serve with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano.
Italian Tortellini Soup With Shredded Chicken Breast
A hot bowl of Tortellini soup with shredded chicken breast in a broth base is perfect for cold nights or when you want a meal in under 30 minutes that your family will love.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (pre-cook two chicken breasts seasoned with pepper and salt in a 350-degree oven until the middle is no longer pink. -Do this first.
- 1 package of Frozen tortellini or tortelloni (your choice) 1/2 pound, 225g.
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1 cup of sliced carrots
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 3 cups of spinach chopped or baby spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (add as much or little as you want)
Instructions
- Add the butter and carrots, onion, and celery in a large pot on medium heat for 6 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and mix into the vegetables with the seasonings, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Pour 8 cups of chicken broth into the pot and stir to mix everything.
- Heat the broth until it’s a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the shredded chicken and the bag of frozen tortellini and cook until they are tender, about 7 minutes. (you can also read the instructions on the back of the Tortellini brand for specific times.
- Test for seasoning to make sure you have it right. If not, add more of what you prefer.
- Add the spinach into the pot at the end as it wilts quickly.
- Scoop out a bowl and serve with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano.
I hope you enjoy this simple tortellini soup that Italians love to serve.
Discussion: What kind of tortellini or Tortelloni do you prefer?
Do you like it as pasta or soup (if you haven’t had the soup, you can’t answer this one yet, ha)
Leave me your comments below, and I’ll be sure to reply.
Mr.CBB
