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Chicken Florentine Soup

Creamy Chicken Florentine Soup is a hearty cold weather meal inspired by the classic recipe. Spinach, cream, cheese, and chicken are joined by mushrooms, leeks, and garlic to build a flavorful hearty soup.

Comforting Chicken Florentine Soup | @yummyaddiction

This recipe was originally published on November 29, 2014, and was republished in February 2022 to add better quality photos, re-test the recipe, and add more helpful tips.

A good, warm bowl of soup is one of my favorite things to enjoy on cold days. I especially like it in the fall and winter when soup-friendly ingredients like spinach, carrots, and mushrooms are beautiful and flavorful.  

Creamy chicken spinach soup in the pot on the table

This chicken florentine soup highlights those lovely seasonal flavors in a cozy meal inspired by the classic chicken dish. Instead of pan seared chicken and spinach in a white sauce, the creamy soup takes center stage. It’s accented by tender veggies, moist chicken, and finished with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and croutons.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

  • It’s creamy, comforting, and takes less than an hour to get on the table.
  • It’s full of rich, easy-to-love flavors that even kids will enjoy.
  • Uses fall and winter veggies to make a delicious stove-top meal, no oven required.

Ingredients

To make a big pot of chicken florentine soup you’ll need a combination of vegetables, herbs, and pantry staples.

Ingredients of vegetable chicken soup on the table
  • Olive oil – Any cooking oil will work if you don’t have olive.
  • Boneless skinless chicken breast – Cut them into bite sized pieces. You could also use boneless skinless thighs in a pinch.
  • Salt and black pepper – You’ll need both a few different times through the recipe.
  • Unsalted butter – If you only have salted be careful about adding too much additional salt.
  • Button mushrooms – These are the small white ones, but cremini (baby bellas) will also work. Rinse and slice them for the recipe.
  • Leek – Half and chop only the white and light green part for best flavor and tenderness.
  • Bell pepper – Dice your favorite color pepper, red is sweeter and green is less so.
  • Carrots – Use local, fresh ones if you can for the sweetest flavor and slice them thinly.
  • Garlic -Finely dice 2 cloves.
  • White wine vinegar – If you don’t have this, unseasoned rice or champagne vinegar, or even lemon juice can work.
  • Dried thyme – If using fresh instead, double the amount and strip the leaves from the stem.
  • All-purpose flour – This is important for thickening the soup.
  • Low-sodium chicken broth – If you use regular chicken broth, taste before adding more salt.
  • Water
  • Baby spinach leaves – Give it a rough chop so that every spoonful gets a little bit.
  • Heavy cream – This creates creaminess, have it at room temperature so it blends in better.

To finish the soup off I always like to top each bowl with a handful of croutons for crunch and Parmesan cheese for extra creaminess.  

Instructions

The best part of this easy soup is that it all comes together on the stove-top. Use a large pot to give you plenty of room for stirring and simmering.  

Start by heating the oil in a skillet, then add in the chicken cubes, half a teaspoon of salt, and a couple pinches of pepper. Saute until it’s lightly cooked all over, about 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.

Sauteed chicken and vegetables

Next the butter goes into the large soup pot with all the chopped vegetables. Saute until they’re softened, stirring often. After about 5 minutes, add in the garlic and a bit more salt and pepper. Stir for another minute or two.

Then add in the vinegar and thyme, stirring for just one more minute, before adding the flour. Make sure it coats all the vegetables.

Making chicken soup in the pot

Start pouring in the chicken stock and water. Keep stirring so everything gets nicely mixed together with no lumps of flour. Let it all simmer together for 15 minutes or so. Then add in the spinach and chicken, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

A ladle of the soup with chicken and vegetables

Taste and adjust seasoning at this point. Then, finish it off by ladling it into serving bowls and adding your toppings.

Storing Creamy Soup Leftovers

If there are any leftovers, you can definitely store it for 2 to 3 days in the fridge and enjoy a warm and cozy lunch. I don’t recommend freezing however, as the cream tends to separate when thawed.

But that’s okay! This creamy chicken florentine soup is so easy to make that you’ll have no problem whipping up another batch whenever the craving strikes.

Creamy chicken florentine soup in a bowl served with croutons and parmesan

Between batches though, you might want some other warm soups to help on those cold nights. Be sure to check out one of these other winter recipes.

Comforting Chicken Florentine Soup

Chicken Florentine Soup

This creamy chicken spinach soup is a comforting cold weather meal packed with vegetables. Perfect for chilly days!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Jovita | Yummy Addiction

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb (450g) boneless skinless chicken breast , cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt , divided
  • 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 oz. (115g) button mushrooms , rinsed and sliced
  • 1 leek , white and light green parts only, halved and chopped
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper , diced
  • 1/2 cup carrots , sliced thin
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 oz. (85g) fresh baby spinach leaves , roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream , at room temperature
  • grated Parmesan cheese , for serving
  • croutons , for serving

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Saute until chicken is no longer pink outside, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
  • In a large heavy pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, leek, bell pepper and carrots and cook, stirring often, until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add white wine vinegar and thyme and cook 1 minutes more. Add flour to the vegetables, stirring to coat them all, and cook for 1 minute longer.
  • Add chicken broth, water, and cooked chicken and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, add spinach, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if desired.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and croutons. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowl | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.9g | Protein: 32.6g | Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 522mg | Sugar: 3.4g
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: chicken soup, chicken spinach soup
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Florentine Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 bowl)
Calories 295 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Cholesterol 98mg33%
Sodium 522mg23%
Carbohydrates 10.9g4%
Sugar 3.4g4%
Protein 32.6g65%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

6 Comments

  • Colleen
    July 23, 2015 at 12:28 am

    This is the best soup ever, i just love it!!

    Reply
    • Jovita
      July 23, 2015 at 2:32 pm

      Thank you Colleen!

      Reply
  • Martha
    January 7, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    This soup is delicious, healthy (more so if you substitute butter and cream), and great fora dinner party or any time! Super alternative to chicken noodle, etc. Don’t forget the cheese and croutons! Nice presentation!5 stars

    Reply
    • Jovita
      January 10, 2020 at 3:32 pm

      Thank you so much for getting back to leave a comment, Martha! It’s just made my day 🙂

      Reply
  • Jennifer Wilson
    October 16, 2020 at 9:38 pm

    Can you substitute a lower fat milk for the heavy cream? I’m sure its better with cream but I’m trying to cut calories!

    Reply
    • Jovita
      October 19, 2020 at 5:55 am

      Hi, Jennifer! I am pretty sure you will be fine using milk instead of cream 😉

      Reply

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