Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup
Yield: 6 servings
This Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup recipe is cozy and flavorful with soft puffs of cheese tortellini and bites of tender, flavorful chicken and fresh vegetables, all in a sunshiny lemon-spiked chicken broth. If there's one soup that the whole family can agree on, this is it!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1¼ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, with any large pieces of fat removed
- kosher salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups peeled, sliced carrots, cut crosswise ¼" thick
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (use more if needed)
- 9 ounces tortellini pasta with cheese (use fresh/refrigerated, not dried)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (add more if you really like dill!)
- freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Drizzle whole chicken thighs with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil, and toss to coat evenly. Season fairly generously with salt & pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large pot over medium to medium-high heat and add remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Once olive oil is hot, add seasoned whole chicken thighs. Cook chicken for 12 to 15 minutes total, turning periodically, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle - total time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces. Transfer chicken to a plate. Once chicken has cooled a bit, shred it on a cutting board, using two forks. Set aside.
- While chicken is cooling, using the same large pot, turn heat down to slightly less than medium. Add butter to drippings in pot, and once melted, add carrots and onion. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook until veggies have softened a bit, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add chicken broth to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring mixture just to a boil. Then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low and toss in 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and the shredded chicken. Cover the pot, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and zest. Then taste test, and add 1 tablespoon or more of chicken bouillon for richer chicken flavor, plus additional salt & pepper, if needed.
- Add tortellini (see Notes below) and peas, and give a gentle stir to incorporate. Cook tortellini according to package directions, usually 4-8 minutes. If needed, turn heat up just a bit, to bring broth to a simmer. Do not boil rapidly.
- Stir in dill, then serve immediately. We like to grate fresh Parmesan over the top of our bowls, but that's completely optional.
Notes
When adding the tortellini: If you are planning to eat all the soup in one sitting, add all of the tortellini to the pot in Step 6. If you will have leftovers, I recommend only adding as much tortellini as you think you will eat with the first meal. Alternatively, you could cook the tortellini separately according to the package directions, drain, and reserve them - then just add the cooked tortellini to individual bowls of hot soup right before serving. Otherwise, when storing leftover soup in the refrigerator, the noodles soak up the broth, get mushy, and break down.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 451kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 41g Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 7g Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 154mg Sodium: 1510mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.