(Not Crock Pot) Creamy Tortellini Soup, with or without Chicken

Apparently this (crock pot) soup was All. The. Rage. for years before I finally got around to trying it back in 2023.  I had no idea, and I don't have record of where I first saw it or whose recipe I followed.  When I first made it in 2023 (I've made it a couple times since), I determined that the crock pot of it all was entirely unnecessary, and even a detriment -- because not only can you whip this up on a stovetop in about 30 minutes, but cooking it in a crock pot for as long as the original author states will yield a big pot o' mush.  So below is my adaptation.

INGREDIENTS

Using my handy-dandy rainbow chart, items that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Any ingredient in the white section should be kept separate by itself.

* 4 cups of salted Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth if you want to make this Vegetarian) * 1 block of Cream Cheese, cut into chunks or cubes

* 2 14-ounce cans of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes * 1 teaspoon of Roasted Garlic Powder * 1 teaspoon of Onion Powder * 1.5 teaspoon of Dried Basil * 1.5 teaspoon of Dried Oregano * 1/2 teaspoon of Red Pepper Flake * Black Pepper (I measured this with my heart) * 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (if you are using Morton's, cut this measurement in half)

* 1 bag of Frozen Tricolor Tortellini               * 1 small bag of Fresh Baby Spinach    * OPTIONAL: Tomato Paste or Tomato Sauce, for extra flavor and color.    * OPTIONAL: Pan-seared Chicken Thighs - cut into bite size pieces       (for this iteration, we used 2 thighs with bones and skin, and removed       the bones after searing before cutting the meat with skin into bite-size       pieces).    * OPTIONAL: White Wine for deglazing searing pan.    * OPTIONAL: Capers for garnishing.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you are going to put Chicken in your soup, sear and mostly cook it (it will finish cooking in the soup) in a frying pan.  Then remove any bones and cut the meat/skin into bite-size pieces.
2. If you want to use all the tasty bits from the bottom of the frying pan in your soup, deglaze the frying pan with about 1/4-cup of White Wine.  Set this aside until Step 5.
3. In a medium-to-large pot, bring the Stock and the Cream Cheese to a boil, whisking them together until the Cream Cheese is dissolved.
4. Add in the Diced Tomatoes and all the Spices - and bring it back to a boil.
   (Give it a taste at this point, and if you're not happy with the color or the flavor, you can add some of that optional Tomato Paste or Tomato Sauce.  I did, because we had some, and why not!)
5. Once you have made any desired adjustments to the color/flavor, add in the Tortellini, the Seared Chicken (if using), and (if using) the Deglazed Frying Pan Drippings.  Simmer for a few minutes, until the Chicken and Tortellini are cooked.
6. Kill the heat, and add the Spinach.  Stir until it wilts, just a few seconds.
7. Garnish each bowl with some Capers (if you want) and enjoy!

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