This Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup is ultra filling and super delicious. Since you’re using frozen veggies, it’s ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Yellow onions – white onions or shallots would provide a similar flavour.
- Celery – if you don’t have any celery, you can add in some carrots to provide a bit of crunch.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic has the best flavor, but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chicken breasts – chicken breasts are the healthier option but you can also use 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can also cut down on prep time by using leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the next best thing.
- Frozen vegetables – use the frozen vegetable variety of your choice from the grocery store.
- Cheese tortellini – frozen tortellini is easiest but you can also use fresh tortellini.
- Parsley – chervil or tarragon can be used instead.
How to make chicken tortilla soup
Step 1: Add the ingredients to the pot.
Add the olive oil, onions, celery, garlic, chicken, salt, pepper and chicken broth to the pressure cooker in order.
Step 2: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Microwave the veggies and tortellini.
Defrost the frozen veggies in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, then microwave the tortellini for 2 minutes.
Step 4: Shred the chicken.
Do a quick release of the pressure, then remove the chicken and shred with two forks.
Step 5: Stir in the veggies and tortellini.
Add the chicken back in along with the microwave tortellini, veggies and parsley. Replace the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Variations & Serving Ideas
There are tons of ways you can make this Instant Pot tortellini soup your own, from ingredient substitutions to delicious side dish options!
- Make it creamy: For a creamy version of this soup, stir in some heavy cream at the end of the cooking time.
- Add some toppings: I like to garnish this soup with fresh parsley, but it would also be delicious with parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, croutons or crackers. You can even add some red pepper flakes to make it a bit spicy!
- Try a different pasta: The tortellini is the star of this soup, but you could also try making it with gnocchi or regular pasta noodles (just make sure to cook the pasta separately).
- Make it vegetarian: Leave out the chicken and swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make this soup vegetarian-friendly.
- Serving ideas: This soup would be delicious with some fresh crusty bread, garlic bread or cornbread. You could also cut down on the serving size and pair it with a nice side salad like this kale salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can use pretty much any protein of your choice, but you’ll probably need to cook or at least saute it first. Cooked Italian sausage, ground beef or ground turkey would all be delicious in this soup.
Since you’re adding in the tortellini after the soup has cooked, it won’t get soggy and will just cook slightly in the pot. Make sure you don’t add it in while the soup is cooking on high pressure or it’ll end up a soggy mess.
To make this tortellini soup vegetarian, leave out the chicken and substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth. You could even add in some of your favourite beans so you’re still getting some plant-based protein.
This recipe was specifically made for the pressure cooker, but if you’re looking for alternate methods, you can try my stovetop tortellini minestrone soup or my crockpot tortellini soup recipes, which are both pretty similar.
Storing and reheating
This chicken tortellini soup is best eaten fresh, but it will last in the fridge for about 2 days. Just stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes or bring to a simmer over low heat in a pot on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Can you freeze chicken tortellini soup?
Many broth-based soup recipes like Instant Pot Vegetable Bean Soup and Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup freeze well. Unfortunately, the Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup recipe uses frozen tortellini, which is likely to become mushy after it’s been cooked. For that reason, it won’t freeze very well.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (750g) package frozen vegetables, defrosted
- 1 (350g) package cheese tortellini
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onions, celery, garlic, chicken, salt & pepper and chicken broth to Instant Pot in that order. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10-20 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, defrost frozen veggies in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Microwave tortellini for 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily. Shred chicken breasts, then stir chicken back in with tortellini, veggies and parsley. Replace lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
