If you are a cream sauce and alfredo fan you are going to love this Creamy Tortellini Chicken Alfredo Soup. This one-pot meal is made with a homemade sauce and packed with a few vegetables making it perfect for meal prep and weeknight dinners.
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I created this dish because I love pasta, but it doesn’t always reheat well the next day. I’m a meal prepper who likes quick and easy meals I can have on hand throughout the week. Making my favorite flavor into a soup was the perfect thing to do!
What Type of Pasta to Use
I love to use tortellini because it’s small and great for soups because usually, the goal is to consume soup in bite-sized chunks. Tortellini is a small, ring-shaped filled pasta. It’s made with egg and pasta dough and resembles dumplings.
It’s usually stuffed with cheese, meat, or spinach. It comes from Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Traditionally, tortellini are filled with pork and served in a rich meaty broth.
Tortellini is usually in the grocery store in the refrigerated or frozen section. You may have to ask if and where your grocer carries it.
Ultimately, you can use any type of pasta you wish in this soup or omit it! Here are options:
- Ravioli
- Lasagna
- Zucchini Noodles
- Agnolotti
- Capelletti
Add Salt to the Water When Cooking the Pasta
You should always salt your water when cooking pasta. The salt won’t sink into the flavor of the pasta because it doesn’t absorb most of it. The salt will keep the pasta from being sticky and slimy. I usually add a teaspoon.
What Type of Chicken to Use
You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boneless chicken thighs, a fully cooked rotisserie chicken, store-bought cooked chicken, or basically whatever you want. I like to make this recipe using one pot and with cubed, sauteed chicken so I opt for chicken breasts.
Chicken breasts are much leaner than chicken thighs and have less fat. They are also less juicy, if you are looking for something really juicy chicken thighs may work best for you.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Soup
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the tortellini in accordance with the instructions on the packaging.
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add chicken cubes and season with Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook and remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Add butter to the pot along with celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Saute.
- Add in softened cream cheese.
- Add in Parmesan Reggiano and stir. Pour in the broth and stir.
- Add the cooked chicken, broccoli, and tortellini to the pot and stir.
- Lower the heat to lower and simmer.
What Type of Pan or Pot to Use
I’m a huge fan of making this a one-pot recipe. I go for this 7-quart Dutch oven. It’s large enough to cook the pasta in and it can withhold higher heat for sauteeing the vegetables and chicken. If you want to make this using one pot, grab one that’s large enough and retains heat well.
How to Thicken the Sauce
The cream cheese does a great job of thickening the sauce. Be sure to use softened cream cheese. It will take a long time to melt down cold cream cheese if you toss it in straight from the fridge. Soften it at room temperature or in the microwave for 15-20 seconds prior to adding it to your cream sauce.
If you find your sauce is still too thin, combine 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour along with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Add the slurry mixture to the cream sauce and stir until it thickens.
If your sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with additional broth.
How Long Will it Last in the Fridge
The soup will last 3-4 days stored tightly sealed in the fridge.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze this soup. I like to use these freezer molds from Amazon. It allows you to freeze the soup in individual portions. Because this is a creamy soup with dairy, when you defrost and reheat the soup, you will notice separation.
Pair With These Recipes
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Hot Girl Summer Salad
Avocado Egg Salad Cups
Cold Green Bean Salad
More Soup Recipes
Roasted Creamy Poblano Soup
Slow Cooker Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup
Ham and Vegetable Soup
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
Chicken Lasagna Soup
Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken Florentine Soup
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Slow Cooker Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Ramen Soup
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Crockpot Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
You may also enjoy our Pizza Soup, Lasagna Soup, Bread Bowl Soup, and Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Soup with Tortellini
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts Cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Alfredo Soup
- 2-3 cups tortellini pasta I use 2 cups, use 3 for thick soup.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onions I used white onions.
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 3 garlic cloves Minced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3-4 cups cooked or steamed broccoli Optional
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini in accordance with the instructions on the packaging. Prep your vegetables and chicken while the tortellini cooks.
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the chicken cubes and season with Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 5-6 minutes until fully cooked through on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Add the butter to the pot. Once melted, add the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic to the pot. Saute until the veggies are translucent and fragrant.
- Add in the softened cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has melted.
- Add in the Parmesan Reggiano and stir. Pour in the broth and stir. The sauce will get creamy. Taste the sauce repeatedly and add additional spices or salt if necessary. See notes for how to thicken the sauce if you want it really thick.
- Add the cooked chicken, broccoli, and tortellini to the pot and stir.
- Lower the heat to lower and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is well incorporated.
- Cool before serving.
Notes
- You can use any type of pasta you wish or omit it.
- I’m a huge fan of making this a one-pot recipe. I go for this 7-quart Dutch oven. It’s large enough to cook the pasta in and it can withhold higher heat for sauteeing the vegetables and chicken. If you want to make this using one pot, grab one that’s large enough and retains heat well.
- As always, feel free to use a store-bought alfredo sauce if that’s your preference and you want to save some time.
- You can soften the cream cheese at room temperature or place in the microwave for 15 seconds or until softened.
- The cream cheese does a great job of thickening the sauce. Be sure to use softened cream cheese. It will take a long time to melt down cold cream cheese if you toss it in straight from the fridge. Soften it at room temperature or in the microwave for 15-20 seconds prior to adding it to your cream sauce.
- You can substitute chicken breasts for skinless chicken thighs with no change to the cooking time.
- You can also use a cooked rotisserie chicken. Chop your chicken into cubes and a little time is saved.
- If you find your sauce is too thin (the brand of cream cheese you use matters), combine 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour along with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Add the slurry mixture to the cream sauce and stir until it thickens.
- If your sauce is too thick or if you like additional sauce, you can thin it out with additional broth.
Felicia
Monday 14th of November 2022
I made this for lunch today. It is very filling and thankfully very comforting because it’s cold where I live. I added in the broccoli and some spinach. What really surprised me was the creaminess of the soup. The cream cheese and shredded cheese really made the soup creamy without turning it into a full alfredo sauce. Thank you for this great recipe!
staysnatched
Monday 14th of November 2022
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.