Creamy Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup

a bowl of lemon chicken tortellini soup with a spoon

4.84 from 6 votes

Creamy Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup

This creamy lemon chicken tortellini soup recipe is hearty, bright, and straightforward to make! A kiss of lemon juice and hint of cream is the best way to elevate chicken soup.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy chicken tortellini soup

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 sticks celery chopped finely
2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
1/2 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
1 cup heavy/whipping cream see note
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more, to taste
2 generous cups refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven/soup pot over medium-high heat, then add in the celery, carrots, and onions, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should lightly brown. If they're browning too fast, turn the heat down a bit.
Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour, and cook for about a minute.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved.
Add in the chicken and cream. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Cover the pot with the lid slightly open, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, tortellini, and parsley, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in the spinach and let it wilt for a minute or two, then season the soup generously with salt & pepper. If you want the soup to be more lemony, squeeze in some more lemon juice as needed.

Notes

This soup feeds 4-6 depending on portion size.
I do NOT recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat as the acidity from the lemon juice and high heat the soup is cooked at is likely to curdle it. Whipping cream or heavy cream that's at least 33% fat is recommended for this recipe. You could try subbing coconut milk if needed, but that may impact flavor.
If you're planning on having lots of leftovers or freezing this soup, add the tortellini in when reheating individual portions vs. all at once as it does soak up the broth and get puffy.

Nutrition