Chicken Florentine soup is a creamy, flavourful dish found in many Italian restaurants. When you see the word “Florentine” in a recipe it’s usually an indication the dish is prepared with spinach in the style of Florence, Italy.
The main ingredients in this recipe are cream, chicken, spinach, and gnocchi. I use 10% half-and-half cream to make it less rich than using 35% whipping cream. And, to make the recipe super quick and easy, I use store-bought rotisserie chicken. We almost always have a Costco chicken in the fridge, especially when making these chicken bacon ranch sliders.
I like using vacuum-packed gnocchi (as you can see here in this pesto gnocchi recipe) because it cooks quickly and directly in the soup, however, you can use any pasta shape you like. Adding freshly grated lemon zest gives this soup a pop of brightness that rounds out the flavors to make a simple and delicious comfort food for cold weather.
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ You can have it on the table in about 25 to 30 minutes.
✔️ The cream-based broth is a nice change from standard chicken noodle soup.
✔️ It’s easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients already.
📋 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- 10% Half And Half Cream—Sometimes called blend.
- Chicken—Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is the easiest choice, however, you can also cook your own chicken.
- Gnocchi—Vacuum-packed gnocchi can usually be found in the pasta aisle of the grocery store.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- 10% Half And Half Cream—If you want to reduce the fat, whole milk is a good substitute. Keep your eye on the heat level when you’re cooking so the milk doesn’t curdle.
- Spinach—Is the traditional ingredient in chicken Florentine soup but arugula would be a great substitute.
- Gnocchi—You can substitute the gnocchi with orzo, egg noodles, tortellini, rice, or anything else you like. Potatoes are also a good substitute, however, you have to add them to the chicken stock in order for them to cook by the time the soup is done.
- Parmesan Cheese—Grana Padano or Pecorino are good substitutes for Parmesan.
- Lemon Zest—If you don’t love lemon simply omit the lemon zest.
🎬 Recipe Video
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Chicken Florentine Soup
STEP 1—Preheat a large pot over medium-low heat. Cook diced carrots, celery, and onion in butter until slightly softened.
STEP 2—Add chicken stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
STEP 3—Add half-and-half cream and simmer for five minutes. Add baby spinach and let it wilt into the hot soup.
STEP 4—Stir in the chicken, gnocchi, pepper, lemon zest, and cheese. Simmer for five minutes then serve hot topped with an extra sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. Chicken Florentine soup tastes better on the second day!
2. Try adding fresh or canned tomatoes, or for something different, artichokes.
3. The soup will thicken in the fridge. Add a splash of chicken stock before reheating to loosen.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Three cups of measured chicken is basically all of the meat from one Costco rotisserie chicken.
- Don’t omit the lemon zest if you can help it! The soup is still delicious without it but the lemon zest adds a note of bright acid that compliments the other ingredients beautifully.
- A dollop of homemade basil pesto on top when serving would be beautiful and delicious.
- Store the soup in airtight containers with tight-fitting lids in the refrigerator for up to four days. I haven’t tried freezing this soup because we usually eat it too quickly.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
The word Florentine generally indicates that a recipe is made with spinach, in the style of Florence, Italy.
The key ingredients in chicken Florentine soup are chicken, spinach, and cream. Variations can include adding pasta such as gnocchi, orzo, or tortellini. In some recipes, fresh or canned diced tomatoes, artichokes, or lemon zest are added. It’s a flexible dish that can really be customized to suit your taste!
No. You can add packaged gnocchi directly to soups to cook in the broth. You can also pan-fry or bake it in the oven instead of boiling it.
💃 More Family Meal Ideas
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🖨 Recipe
Chicken Florentine Soup
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital scale
- Knife and cutting board
- Citrus zester / microplane
- Cheese grater
- Large heavy-bottomed pot
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
- 3 cups 10% cream, sometimes called half-and-half or blend
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, pulled or shredded
- 2 cups gnocchi, pre-packaged
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 medium lemon, zest only
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until slightly softened. If the onion starts to brown, reduce the heat a bit.
- Add the chicken stock and ½ teaspoon salt. Place the lid on the pot. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to gently boil the stock for 8 to 9 minutes to soften the vegetables, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Add the cream when the liquid is no longer boiling hard (gently bubbling or simmering is fine—reduce the heat if you need to). Stir well to combine and allow the cream to heat in the soup until steamy.
- Add the baby spinach. Once it has wilted into the hot soup, add the chicken, gnocchi, and black pepper. Stir to combine then raise the heat a bit and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Taste the soup to see if more salt and pepper is needed. Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve the soup hot, topped with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Three cups of measured chicken is basically all of the meat from one Costco rotisserie chicken.
- Don’t omit the lemon zest if you can help it! The soup is still delicious without it but the lemon zest adds a note of bright acid that compliments the other ingredients beautifully.
- A dollop of homemade basil pesto on top when serving would be beautiful and delicious.
- Store the soup in airtight containers with tight-fitting lids in the refrigerator for up to four days. I haven’t tried freezing this soup because we usually eat it too quickly.
- The soup will thicken in the refrigerator. Add a splash of chicken stock to loosen before reheating.
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