Chicken Florentine Soup has a creamy broth base, tender pieces of chicken, rice and of course, spinach, for a comforting take on this classic dish.
We recently went out to dinner for my mom's birthday and the restaurant had this soup as the "soup of the day." It was listed as chicken and rice soup but it’s definitely a little different than your typical version. My whole family loved it so much. I knew immediately that I had to re-create it.
For a more classic chicken and wild rice soup, check out this recipe.
Chicken Florentine is a dish that has tender chicken breast, generally covered with a cream sauce and sautéed spinach. Anytime you see something described as "florentine" it generally just means that spinach is involved.
I love turning classic dishes into soup recipes. It’s great for fall/winter especially paired with my rustic sourdough bread. Some of our favorites are lasagna soup and Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken: I used pre-cooked rotisserie chicken that I chopped up, but you can also sear a chicken breast directly in the pan or back in the oven. Both boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs would work.
- Chicken broth: Using broth instead of water adds a lot of flavor. I always make bone broth in the crockpot whenever I have leftover chicken bones and then freeze it for soups throughout the week.
- Rice: Cook the rice directly in the broth for a thicker soup. For a thinner, more brothy soup, cook the rice separately according to the packaging instructions and then add cooked rice to the finished soup.
- Spinach: You can’t have something "florentine" without adding spinach! Add this at the end so that it keeps its color and texture.
- Heavy cream: Make it creamy with heavy cream. For a slightly lighter version use half-and-half.
- Shredded Cheese: In addition to the cream, melting in shredded cheese makes this soup creamy and rich.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, see recipe card below.
How to make
Step 1. To a large soup pot over medium heat, add butter, minced garlic, diced onion and chopped celery, and sauté for five minutes until softened.
Step 2. Sprinkle in flour and cook for two minutes. The mixture will be very thick like a paste, this is also called a roux.
Step 3. Slowly stir in chicken broth until fully combined. Add dry rice. Bring up to a simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes, allowing the broth to thicken.
Step 4. Add cooked chicken and spices and reduce heat to medium low. Stir in heavy cream. Stir in cheese.
Step 5. Place spinach on top. Cover and remove from heat. Let the soup sit for five minutes before stirring in the wilted spinach.
Step 6. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
Storage and Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Recipes with cream don’t freeze well, so it’s best to make this one fresh.
When reheating leftovers, you may have to add a little bit of broth or water as the rice will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits.
More soup recipes
- Vegetable Orzo Soup
- Bok Choy Soup
- Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Potbelly Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Pie Crust Crumbles
Did you enjoy this Chicken Florentine Soup? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Chicken Florentine Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 celery stalks small dice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded or chopped
- ¾ cup dry jasmine rice
- 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 2 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- To a large soup pot over medium heat, add butter, minced garlic, diced onion, minced garlic, and chopped celery, and sauté for five minutes until softened.
- Sprinkle in flour and cook for two minutes. The mixture will be very thick like a paste, this is also called a roux.
- Slowly stir in chicken broth until fully combined.
- Bring up to a simmer and add dry rice. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, allowing the broth to thicken.
- Add cooked chicken and spices and reduce heat to medium low.
- Stir in heavy cream. Add cheese and stir to combine. and place spinach on top. Cover and remove from heat.
- Let the soup sit for five minutes before stirring in the wilted spinach.
- Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
Donna
Very similar to a restaurant soup that I love.