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This Creamy Chicken Florentine Soup is everything you want in a cozy, comforting dinner! Made with juicy ground chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and Parmesan cheese in a rich, velvety cream broth, it’s packed with restaurant-quality flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Florentine Soup
- Creamy and rich without being heavy: a little flour, cream, and Parmesan give it body, while lemon juice and spinach keep it fresh.
- Packed with flavor: sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika build depth in every spoonful.
- One-pot cooking: everything comes together in a single Dutch oven, which keeps cleanup simple.
Ingredients You’ll Need
How to Make Chicken Florentine Soup
- Brown the chicken: Cook the ground chicken in olive oil until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the aromatics: Melt the butter in the same pot. Cook the onion until softened, then add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and seasonings.
- Add the flour: Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broth: Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring until smooth.
- Simmer: Return the chicken to the pot and simmer for 8–10 minutes.
- Make it creamy: Reduce the heat and stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan until smooth.
- Add the spinach: Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.
Recipe tip
Once the cream and Parmesan go in, keep the heat low and the soup at a gentle simmer at most. A hard boil can cause cream-based soups to separate or turn grainy, and it can make the Parmesan stringy instead of silky.
Chicken Florentine Soup vs. Classic Chicken Florentine
Classic chicken Florentine is usually seared chicken breasts served in a creamy spinach sauce, a great dinner that calls for a few more steps and sides to round out the meal. This soup takes the same flavors, creamy sauce, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan, and puts them in a bowl with ground chicken, so it cooks faster, serves a crowd easily, and gives you a complete meal with just a slice of bread alongside.
Recipe Variations
- Rotisserie Chicken Florentine Soup-Skip the ground chicken and stir in 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken when you add the broth for an even faster version.
- Chicken Florentine Soup with Pasta or Tortellini-Add cooked tortellini or small pasta to the soup right before serving for a heartier bowl.
- White Bean Florentine Soup-Stir in a can of drained white beans along with the broth for extra body and fiber.
- Lighter Chicken Florentine Soup-Swap the heavy cream for half-and-half for a slightly lighter soup, though it will be a bit less rich.
Ways to Serve Chicken Florentine Soup
- With Crusty Bread-Perfect for dipping into the creamy broth.
- With Garlic Bread-A classic cozy pairing for a creamy soup.
- With a Simple Green Salad-A lightly dressed salad adds freshness next to the rich soup.
- Topped with Extra Parmesan-A generous sprinkle on top adds even more savory flavor.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The soup will thicken as it sits.
- Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth or milk to loosen it. Avoid boiling, which can make the cream separate.
- Freezing: It isn’t recommended, since cream-based soups can separate and turn grainy after thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can use cooked, shredded chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken in place of the ground chicken. Add about 4 cups of cooked chicken after the broth has simmered, since it only needs to heat through.
Yes, ground turkey is a good substitute and cooks the same way. Brown it fully and break it into small crumbles, just as you would the chicken.
The flour and simmering time control the thickness. If the soup is too thin, simmer it a few minutes longer before adding the cream. If it’s too thick, stir in a splash of broth until it reaches the consistency you like.
The cream and Parmesan are central to this recipe’s flavor and texture, so we haven’t tested a dairy-free version. Full-fat coconut milk can replace the cream, though it will change the flavor, and Parmesan would need to be left out or replaced with a dairy-free alternative.
More Recipes to Try!
Chicken
Baked Tuscan Chicken Breasts
Salmon
Creamy Tuscan Salmon
Shrimp Recipes
Creamy Tuscan Butter Shrimp
Give this chicken Florentine soup a try, and if it turns out as creamy and comforting as ours, come back and leave a star rating below, because it helps other home cooks find this recipe too!
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Chicken Florentine Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until fully cooked. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the onion: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and diced onion to the same pot. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sweet paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Add the flour: Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir well to coat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the broth: Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits.
- Simmer the soup: Return the cooked ground chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens slightly.
- Make it creamy: Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Cook gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring until the cheese melts and the soup becomes smooth and creamy. Do not boil.
- Add the spinach: Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes, just until wilted.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.
Notes
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Ground chicken: Ground chicken containing some dark meat works best for a juicy, tender texture.
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Sun-dried tomatoes: Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes add the most flavor. Drain before chopping. If using dry-packed tomatoes, soak them in hot water until softened.
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Sweet paprika: Adds subtle warmth and depth without making the soup spicy. Hungarian sweet paprika works especially well.
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Lemon juice: Stir it in after removing the soup from the heat to preserve its fresh flavor.
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Consistency: For a thinner soup, add an extra ½–1 cup of chicken broth. For a thicker soup, simmer a few minutes longer before adding the cream.
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Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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