Chicken Parmesan Soup
All the flavors of chicken parm — rich tomato broth, Italian seasoning, parmesan, and cheese tortellini — in a one-pot soup that's done in 30 minutes using rotisserie chicken. Topped with melted mozzarella in every bowl. This is the weeknight soup that actually earns the hype.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
Produce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp fresh basil roughly torn, for serving
Dairy
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese for topping bowls
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter divided
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 9 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini one standard package
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Seasonings & Spices
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until it darkens slightly — this is the step that builds the soup's depth.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the cheese tortellini directly to the boiling soup. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini is tender and cooked through. The pasta will release starch into the broth and thicken it slightly as it cooks.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the shredded rotisserie chicken and stir to combine and warm through — about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and the grated parmesan, stirring until both are fully incorporated. Taste and adjust salt.
- Ladle into bowls. Immediately top each bowl with a generous handful of shredded mozzarella — the heat of the soup will melt it within 60 seconds. Scatter fresh torn basil over the top and serve with extra parmesan and crusty bread alongside.
Notes
The tortellini cooks directly in the soup — no separate pot of boiling water needed. As it cooks it releases starch that naturally thickens the broth, which is why this soup has more body than a standard tomato soup. Don't overcook the tortellini — it goes from perfect to bloated and soft quickly. Start checking at 3 minutes.
Cooking the tomato paste for 1 to 2 minutes before the liquid goes in is the step that makes the broth taste roasted and complex rather than like canned tomato soup. Don't skip it.
Mozzarella goes on each individual bowl, not stirred into the pot. Stirred-in mozzarella strings and clumps in a soup. Per-bowl topping lets it melt properly and gives you the cheese pull moment in every spoonful.
The tablespoon of butter stirred in at the end adds a richness and glossiness to the broth that makes the whole soup taste more finished. It's optional but very much worth it.
Leftovers keep for 3 days. The tortellini will absorb more broth as it sits — add a splash of chicken broth when reheating and stir over low heat. Does not freeze well once the tortellini has been added; freeze the base without pasta for up to 3 months.
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