A Deliciously Tasty Recipe for Chicken Florentine Soup with Spinach
Homemade chicken florentine soup has something special about the way it tastes. Any reputable Italian restaurant will proudly offer their version of chicken florentine soup, yet they never measure up to the old-fashioned recipes. Keep reading to discover how you can make a chicken florentine soup with spinach that will soon become one of your most requested dishes.
Getting Started With the Right Ingredients
No matter what a chef is cooking in their kitchen, your resulting dish depends on the quality of your ingredients. So if you want the best-tasting soup, shop for the freshest, highest quality ingredients. Always check your local farmer’s market for fresher, more affordable options.
Don’t worry if you have to use dried herbs and canned products. They will work just fine! Of course, fresh is recommended for its nutrition and flavor value, but substitutions can make a delicious soup.
Recipe for Chicken Florentine Soup With Spinach
Chicken florentine soup is perfect for you when you want a creamy, inexpensive soup you can make quickly! This recipe is relatively simple. You can also adjust as needed, which we’ll address later.
Here’s a delicious yet simple recipe for your own soup from scratch:
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup of baby spinach (some like to slice the leaves in half or quarters for easier eating)
- 1 15oz. Can of diced tomatoes (you may substitute 2 cups of diced fresh tomatoes for a more natural flavor)
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper (freshly ground packs more of a punch)
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp basil
- 2 cups of chicken, pan-seared and diced
- ½ cup lemon juice or the juice of an entire fresh lemon
Directions:
- If you still need to, pan-sear your chicken until thoroughly cooked and dice it.
- Pour a splash of olive oil into a large pot. Warm it up over medium heat.
- When the oil is heated, add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook until the onion is translucent (typically 5 to 10 minutes).
- Stir in the baby spinach.
- Next, add the chicken broth and tomatoes (fresh or canned) to the pot.
- Stir in your basil, oregano, and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a boil, and then add the prepared chicken.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for around 30 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste before serving.
How to Simplify Your Meal Prep
Not everyone has the time and resources to prepare the chicken and all the veggies. Fortunately, some shortcuts can simplify your time in the kitchen. Consider these tips and ideas for your next pot of soup:
- Many grocery stores carry frozen, cooked chicken, which only needs to be thawed before adding to your soup.
- Buy a rotisserie chicken, shred the meat, or cut it into cubes and bag it to put in the freezer. You can even measure out predetermined portions to grab and go. Label your bags, including the date you froze them, to eliminate any portion or serving size questions.
- Prepare chicken in a pressure cooker, shred, and freeze for future use.
- If doing all the work of searing, shredding, or cubing chicken is too much, add a couple of cans of chicken. You won’t get that extra flavor boost from searing or the rotisserie seasoning, but it’ll still taste great!
- Check your produce department for prepackaged diced vegetables. This is convenient when you decide to throw this soup together at the last minute. The prepped veggies may cost more than if you were to do it yourself, but it may be worth the extra expense to make meal prep more of a dump-and-go situation.
- Frozen vegetables aren’t for everyone, but they’re a fast and inexpensive option to add to your soup. It’s also an excellent way to introduce different vegetables if you want a change. For a heartier, veggie-heavy soup, try buying a mixed vegetable mix with peas, carrots, and beans.
- If you’re out of broth, stock, or bouillon, add the equivalent in salted water. The soup won’t have as rich a flavor, so you may want to add some extra seasoning as it boils.
- Instead of fresh, use frozen spinach. Make sure to thaw the spinach and squeeze out any excess water before you add it to the soup. It’s okay if you forget. The soup will be slightly diluted and may require a little extra salt.
- Replace the spinach with any tasty greens you have on hand. If you have a garden or got a great deal on kale at the farmer’s market, replace spinach with your alternate fresh greens!
- You can use a general Italian seasoning blend if you don’t have all the seasonings.
When you find a way to make your soup preparation fast and easy, you’re more likely to make it over and over again. So make sure to try out your own ideas to make your own original chicken florentine soup with spinach recipe!
Variations to Enjoy
Like with most foods, you can switch some things up to make your soup feel like a new recipe. You can do the same thing with your chicken florentine recipe. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Add heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk (about 1 cup)
- Cut and add artichokes
- Serve over rice
- Serve with pasta (smaller is easier to get onto a spoon)
- Cube potatoes and add with the chicken
- Pan-sear tofu and add it to the soup for the last ten minutes of cooking
- Add white beans like cannellini or Great Northern beans in place of or in addition to the chicken
- Dice or slice fresh tomatoes to simmer in the soup or serve on top
- Add a strong cheese (like parmesan or romano) in the soup or on top as garnish
- Top the soup with your favorite croutons
- Sprinkle the soup with red chili pepper flakes just before serving
- Play around with different herbs like parsley, thyme, and rosemary
- Add additional vegetables like mushrooms, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, peas, and broccoli
- Add sun-dried tomatoes with a tablespoon or two of their oil
Now that you’ve got some ideas, be sure to try any you’ve come up with on your own. When you can personalize a recipe to your own taste, you’ll be hard-pressed to enjoy any other recipe as much as that one!
Cooking Alternatives
When you’re not in the mood or unable to stand in the kitchen to make a big pot of this soup, you don’t have to! Instead, if you have a crockpot, add all of the ingredients into the crock, stir it well, and cook it on high for four to six hours or on low for six to eight hours.
If you want to take the time to saute veggies and sear your chicken, do so before adding them to the crockpot. You don’t have to in order to make a deliciously slow-cooked soup, but it can add a bit of depth to your overall result if you do.
This method is especially helpful when working with frozen or prepared foods. If you have enough foresight, you can pack all the ingredients except the broth into a large freezer bag, dump them into the crockpot, add the broth, set the heat level you want, and let it cook throughout the day!
Make Your Own Recipe for Chicken Florentine Soup With Spinach Today
Every day is a great day to make a hearty, comforting soup for yourself and the people you love. It’s delicious, nutritious, and filling. Show everyone at your table how much you care by serving this deliciously tasty chicken florentine soup with spinach recipe.
