Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup (Cozy One-Pot Dinner!)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 20-oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 5–6 minutes, until they start to soften.
• Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds.
• Pour in the chicken broth and add the chicken thighs.
• Bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and roughly chop or shred it.
• Add the tortellini to the simmering broth and cook according to the package directions, usually about 3–5 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the spinach.
• Cook for another minute or two, just until the spinach wilts.
• Stir in the lemon juice, taste the broth and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Ladle into bowls and add plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.

Variations

• Use chicken thighs: They’re juicier, more flavorful and considerably harder to accidentally cook into drywall. Chicken breasts work too if that’s what you have.
• Use rotisserie chicken when you’re really impatient: Skip cooking the raw chicken and stir about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken into the soup toward the end.
• Don’t murder the tortellini: Refrigerated tortellini cooks ridiculously FAST. Follow the package directions and stop cooking once it’s tender.
• Making it ahead?: Cook the tortellini separately and add it to individual bowls. Otherwise it’ll spend the night sucking up broth and you’ll open the refrigerator tomorrow to discover you’ve accidentally made chicken tortellini casserole.
• Add whatever vegetables need using up: Mushrooms, zucchini, peas or kale can all find a perfectly respectable home in here.
• Want it creamy? Add a splash of heavy cream at the end. We like this one brothy because we’re already floating cheese-filled pasta in it and think we’ve sufficiently demonstrated our commitment to dairy.
• Throw in a Parmesan rind: If you’ve got one hanging around, add it while the chicken cooks and remove it before serving. It’s a ridiculous amount of extra flavor for something that was otherwise headed for the garbage.
• Don’t skip the lemon: It won’t make the soup taste lemony. That little hit of acid just wakes everything up at the end.
• Make it spicy: Add crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic or drizzle a little chili oil over each bowl.

If you love cozy soups, check out our 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Curry Soup, this Creamy White Bean Immersion Blender Soup, our Creamy Vegetable Soup, our Lazy Lentil Soup, our Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup and our Lazy, Big-Batch Butternut Squash Soup that’s fast, healthy & ridiculously versatile!

Love soup AND easy recipes? Check out our list of The Best Soups to Make with an Immersion Blender!

If your soup ever tastes a little flat, this quick guide on how to fix bland soup will help you instantly boost the flavor!