It’s that time of year when soup is requested to take the chill out of the air and warm your heart and soul. This Florentine Chicken Tortellini Soup does exactly that! It tastes like you’ve worked for hours, but the truth is, from start to finish, its time commitment is under an hour. Buying the rotisserie chicken cuts a lot of time from the prep. All I had to do was create the broth. I started this on the stove while honey and I played a couple of games of pool in an adjoining room, returning to check and flip it between games. Let’s just say the outcome of this soup was way better than my pool skills this day.
Place the chicken in a large stock pot with 10-12 cups of water. Allow to boil for about 30 minutes, flipping over at least once.
At the point where the meat is easily flaked off the bone, remove chicken and place on a platter to remove the meat. Turn the heat off. Be aware that the chicken will fall apart in pieces as it is removed from the pot. Skim the pot for any additional pieces of bones or meat. Shred the chicken as you place it back in the pot.
Reheat the broth and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the tortellini separately. It will absorb too much of the broth. if cooked otherwise. Add the spinach( or kale) to the broth and cook 3-5 minutes. . Add the basil chiffonade, stirring it throughout the pot to distribute the flavor. Then, add the cooked tortellini and allow it to heat through before serving it up!
Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and some grated pecorino-romano cheese, if desired. A mouthful will put you into a trance of peace. Enjoy!
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 servings
- 1 rotisserie chicken,
- 10-12 c. water
- 1- 12 oz. package of Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini
- 1 - 5 oz. pkg baby spinach or kale
- 1 t. sea salt
- 1 t. black pepper, freshly ground
- ¼ c. basil chiffonade
- grated pecorino-romano cheese or parm
- red pepper flakes
- Boil rotisserie chicken in large pot with 10 cups of water for about 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pot and pick meat off the bones; shred larger chunks of meat. Depending on the size of your chicken, determine how much meat you want to add to your soup and save any extra for another purpose.
- Return chicken to the pot and season broth to your liking.
- Cook tortellini separately according to package directions.
- Add the spinach(or kale). Stir occasionally for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh basil chiffonade and cook an additional 2 minutes allowing its flavors to permeate the soup.
- Stir in the cooked tortellini and cook until warmed through.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes, if desired, and cheese.
