Chicken Florentine Soup

What is chicken Florentine soup? Well, pretty simply, it’s soup that has spinach and chicken in it. There’s a longstanding convention in French cookery that anything spinach-based is “Florentine.” You may have had eggs Florentine at a fancy brunch, for example. It’s an eggs Benedict variation that puts spinach under the eggs, rather than some form of bacon or ham.

It’s often said that the name is a tribute to Catherine de Medici. In this telling, her Florentine cooks brought spinach dishes and other refinements to the French court when she became queen. That may or may not be true, but it’s a good story.

Ingredients for Chicken Florentine Soup

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

• Olive oil: Olive oil provides a “good fat” for sauteing the aromatic vegetables that give the soup its base of flavor.
• Onion, carrot and celery: The combination of onion, carrot and celery is a well-established mixture, providing a well-rounded and savory base of flavor for the soup. The French call this mixture mirepoix.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic adds a bold, pungent flavor to complement the other ingredients and seasonings.
• Italian seasoning: Using a prepared Italian seasoning mix rather than individual herbs simplifies your preparation, and guarantees a balanced mixture of flavors.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: The crushed red pepper flakes bring a pleasant hint of heat to the soup.
• Vegetable broth: Reduced sodium vegetable broth makes up the base for the soup’s broth, and provides a vehicle for the recipe’s other flavors.
• Orzo pasta: Spoon-sized, rice-shaped orzo pasta is ideal for use in soups.
• Cooked chicken breast: Cooked chicken breast gives the soup enough protein to feel like a light meal. It also adds a bit of flavor.
• Baby spinach: Delicate baby spinach needs no advance cooking or simmering time, cooking almost instantly in the hot broth.
• Half-and-half cream: The modest quantity of half-and-half cream the recipe calls for is just enough to enrich the broth, without making the soup feel heavy.
• Lemon juice: A splash of lemon juice, added at the very end, brightens and enlivens the soup’s flavors.
• Parmesan cheese: A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese makes a pleasing garnish that complements the soup’s flavors.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the aromatic ingredients

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery. Cook and stir them for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer. Stir in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Step 2: Cook the soup

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Add the broth to the pot, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the orzo and the cooked chicken. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and cook the soup at a simmer until the orzo is al dente, approximately 8 to 10 minutes for most brands. Stir in the baby spinach, the half-and-half cream and the lemon juice. Serve the soup in bowls, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Chicken Florentine Soup Variations

• Do a smooth version: The soup is beautiful as it is, but sometimes you might want something a little creamier and richer. A pureed version of the soup will scratch that itch handily. Begin the recipe as you normally would, but don’t add the diced chicken to the pot. Instead, puree the soup with a blender or immersion blender and then add in the chicken afterwards. You can puree the soup with the orzo in it, or cook the orzo separately and add it afterwards.
• Lose the chicken: Chicken adds both protein and flavor to the soup, but it’s not indispensable. Leftover turkey is a like-for-like alternative, for example. Mushrooms or diced tofu can replace the chicken for a meatless version (replace the cream as well for vegans). Even eggs make a fine alternative as a protein ingredient. Swirl a beaten egg or two into the broth, for threads of egg. For eggs that act as a garnish, carefully crack one whole egg per portion into the soup. Let them poach, without stirring, until they’re cooked to your liking, then serve the soup with an egg in each bowl.

How to Store Chicken Florentine Soup

How long will leftover chicken Florentine soup last?

Any leftover soup should be transferred to a food safe storage container with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerated. Like other leftovers, this soup should be good for 3 or 4 days in your fridge. This general rule doesn’t apply if the diced chicken you’re using was itself left over from another meal. If the chicken was already a few days old when you put it into the soup, it’s prudent to eat up the leftovers within 1 or 2 days.

Can I make this soup ahead of time?

You certainly can, though you’ll need to make some minor adjustments for the best results. Proceed with the recipe as written, but hold back the baby spinach and cook the orzo separately. When it’s time to serve the soup, warm the broth and then add the spinach and cooked orzo. Finish the soup with cream, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese as directed in the recipe.

Chicken Florentine Soup Tips

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Can I use different greens in this soup?

Yes you can, though spinach is the canonical choice. Torn up leaves of butter-type lettuce make an easy replacement. So do kale, collards and bok choi. Other garden favorites including turnip greens, beet greens and chard are also good options. Most of these won’t wilt quickly in the soup broth, as spinach will, so add them along with the broth. Beet greens and ruby chard give the soup a pretty pink hue. If you’re a forager, common wild greens including dandelions, wild chicory, lamb’s quarters, mache and stinging nettles also work. Nettles should be blanched to remove their natural stores of oxalic acid before you add them to the pot.

How can I make the soup thicker?

If you’re in the mood for a really creamy chicken Florentine soup, you can do that too. One option is to use a roux. Remove the onion, celery and carrot from the pot once they’re softened, and set them aside. Add another splash of oil (or butter), and then a tablespoon or two of flour. Whisk in the broth, then return the vegetables to the pot and continue with the recipe as written. You’ll need to stir it occasionally as it cooks. Alternatively you can make a slurry with cornstarch and whisk that in at the end. The richest option of all is what the French call a “liaison.” Whisk a couple of eggs into the cream, then temper the mixture whisking hot broth into it very slowly. Once you’ve whisked about 1/3 of the broth into the egg mixture you can pour that slowly back into the soup, stirring well. As soon as it begins to thicken, remove the pot from the heat.

Can I use a different kind of pasta?

Yes, there are plenty of small pasta shapes meant specifically for soup. Consider anelli, ditalini, ancini di pepe or similar options. In a pinch, you could even break up fine noodles like spaghettini or angel-hair pasta into very short lengths and use those instead.