Chicken Tortellini Soup

Our Chicken Tortellini Soup makes for a delicious and comforting meal on a cool autumn day.
(Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

With the arrival of autumn and cooler temperatures, soup is the natural food of choice in our kitchen. We love it because we can eat off one big pot all week, or serve it up to guests for a wonderful Sunday afternoon supper. This week we craved the hearty goodness and delicious Italian flavors of this yummy Chicken Tortellini Soup. Serve it alongside a tossed salad and warm Italian bread with an olive oil dipping sauce for a complete meal. 

PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 skin-on chicken, cut into 8 pieces (about 4 pounds)
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 splashes dry sherry
• 4 quarts low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups cheese tortellini
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large cast iron Dutch oven, warm oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Place chicken pieces skin side down and cook covered without moving until golden brown, 10 minutes. Set aside the chicken on paper towels to drain. Chicken will not be completely cooked through at this point.
2. Add carrots, celery and shallots. Sauté until the shallots are translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Deglaze Dutch oven with the dry sherry and scrape up any fond (brown bits) off the bottom. Add stock, Italian seasoning, bay leaf and chicken to the pot and bring to a low simmer. Maintain this temperature until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Set aside the chicken to cool on a plate.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
4. Shred the chicken and pour any reserved juices back into the soup pot. Add chicken back to the pot just before serving and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the tortellini in the boiling water and cook 2 minutes less than package directions, just until al dente.
6. Put some tortellini in each bowl, then ladle soup over pasta. Serve immediately so tortellini doesn’t become soggy. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

YIELDS: 6 to 8 servings

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