This delicious and warming chicken florentine soup gives the classic French entrée a swoon-worthy makeover!

Bowl of chicken florentine soup with a hunk of fresh bread next to it.

All of the Elements of Chicken Florentine in a Bowl of Soup

If I love a dish and can formulate it into a soup, I will.

Homemade soup is a weekly thing in this house come fall and winter, so variety is important. Plus, we like to get creative!

Chicken florentine seemed like a great candidate for a soup-y makeover. It’s got chicken, spinach, garlic, and a cream sauce.

Guys, it was basically begging to be turned into a soup!

What Is Chicken Florentine?

Florentine, or as the French would say, à la Florentine, is a culinary term in French cuisine that refers to a dish made up of cooked spinach, a protein, and a Mornay sauce.

Chicken Florentine is the more notable Florentine recipe, though there are others, like Quiche Florentine and Eggs Florentine, which seem to be popping up on brunch menus more and more.

A Quick Glance at the Ingredients

  • Olive Oil
  • Chicken tenders (See recipe notes for other chicken suggestions)
  • Sea salt + cracked pepper
  • Italian seasoning
  • Red onion
  • Garlic
  • Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • All purpose flour
  • Chicken broth
  • Dry white wine
  • Baby spinach
  • Heavy cream
  • Parmesan Reggiano
Large pot of chicken florentine soup with a portion being ladled.

How to Make Chicken Florentine Soup

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Hit the front and back of the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. When the oil in the pot is heated, pop the chicken tenders in and cook them for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until slightly golden and with an internal temperature of 160º F.
  3. Remove the chicken from the pot and place them onto a paper towel lined plate.
  4. Add a smidge more oil to the pot, then add the onions with a dash of salt. Let them simmer until they sweat, then stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes.
  5. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and stir until coated. Then add the wine and let it simmer for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol.
  6. Add the broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a low, add the spinach, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  7. In the meantime, shred your chicken tenders with two forks.
  8. Carefully remove 1 cup of the broth and transfer it to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Slowly pour the cream into that broth, whisking it thoroughly as your pour. This will temper the cream to avoid curdling.
  9. Stir the creamy broth back into the soup pot, then stir in the cheese bit by bit, letting it melt.
  10. Give the soup a taste test and adjust salt if needed.
Cooked chicken tenderloins in a pot.
Cooked red onions in a pot.
Red onions and sun-dried tomatoes in a pot.
Flour being added to the cooked onions and sun-dried tomatoes.
Wine being added to the pot.
Pot of cooked onions and sun-dried tomatoes with wine being cooked down.
Shredded chicken on a cutting board.
Pot of chicken florentine soup.

Recipe Notes

  1. I like using chicken tenders for this recipe since they cook quickly, but you could also use boneless + skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Cooking time will vary based on the cut of meat.
  2. Another option is to use already cooked rotisserie chicken. In this case, you’ll skip the instructions of cooking the chicken and proceed from cooking the onions on.
  3. Shredded chicken is my jam when it comes to soups, but you could roughly chop the chicken into chunks if you prefer.
  4. If you want a little less richness to the soup, cut the cream in half. You’ll still get a nice silky texture!
  5. This soup doesn’t freeze well because the cream separates when thawed. If you know you’re going to freeze some soup, separate that portion prior to adding any cream. Then when you thaw and reheat the frozen soup, you can then add the cream.
  6. This soup is best consumed within three days of refrigeration.
Close up of bowl of chicken florentine soup.

More Homemade Soups to Cozy Up With

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Bowl of chicken florentine soup next to a hunk of fresh bread and a glass of wine.

Cozy Chicken Florentine Soup

This delicious and warming chicken florentine soup gives the classic French entrée a swoon-worthy makeover!
5 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Dana Sandonato

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 LB chicken tenders Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs also work.
  • Sea salt + cracked pepper
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped (yields about 1.5 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 6.7 oz jar (give or take) of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 TBSP all purpose flour
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine I usually use pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
  • 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach, torn or roughly chopped
  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream You could also use half & half
  • 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Reggiano

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot or Dutch oven.
  • Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the chicken tenders. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken tenders into the pot and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until they're slightly golden in color and have an internal temperature of 160º F.
  • Transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
  • Drizzle a bit more oil to the pot if necessary; add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Let the onions simmer until they sweat, about 2-3 minutes; stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes.
  • Add the flour, mixing it in until the veggies are coated.
  • Add the wine and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the broth, bring the heat up to medium-high and let the soup come to a rolling boil.
  • Once boiling, bring the heat back down to low. Add the spinach and simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime you can shred your chicken tenders with two forks, then add the chicken to the soup as well.

Tempering the cream:

  • Lastly, transfer 1 cup of the soup broth to a small to medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk the cream into the broth. This will temper the cream which prevents curdling. Now, stir the creamy broth back into the soup pot, and stir in the cheese bit by bit to let it melt.
  • Give the soup a taste test and adjust salt if needed; then enjoy!