Easy Instant Pot Chicken Florentine Soup

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

This light, flavorful soup is inspired by classic Chicken Florentine recipes, but has some unique elements of its own. Pureed white beans and a chunk of Parmesan rind add to its creaminess, while a bit of baby arugula introduces an interesting note to the overall flavor profile. The result is a delicious combination you’ll want to make again and again.

Servings:

Calories: 542kcal

Ingredients

1 cup sun dried tomatoes not packed in oil
4 cups water
4 - 15 ounce cans cannellini beans
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small red onions chopped small
6-7 cloves garlic chopped
8 cups chicken broth
16 ounces white mushrooms cleaned and sliced
8” Parmesan cheese rind see notes
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3 pounds chicken breasts boneless & skinless
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups baby arugula
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Instructions

Place the sun dried tomatoes in 2 cups water and set aside. Let soak until softened, approximately 30 minutes, then chop into small pieces. Reserve the soaking liquid and set aside.
Rinse and drain two cans of cannellini beans, and puree the other two with their liquid in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
Remove heavy cream from the refrigerator and set aside at room temperature until the soup is done cooking. (This will prevent it from curdling when added to the hot soup later).
Add olive oil to Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” button. Set the heat setting to high and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Add chicken broth and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the container, then add the chopped sundried tomatoes and soaking liquid, the whole and pureed white beans, mushrooms, cheese rind, and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine.
Submerge the chicken breasts in the liquid and add lid. Securely lock into position and set the pressure value to the “Sealing” position.
Press the “Manual” button and adjust heat setting to high. Then, adjust the cook time to 10 minutes. After a brief pause, the Instant Pot will automatically start building pressure.
When cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then flip the pressure value to “Venting” to release any remaining steam.
Carefully open lid and add spinach, arugula, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until the greens are wilted and the cheese is completely melted. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Serve immediately with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

For a bit more flavor, you can use economical boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts, but be sure to trim and remove any excess fat first.
To save time on busy weeknights, soak the sun dried tomatoes in advance.
About the Parmesan cheese rind: When Parmesan cheese is made, the outer layer is called the rind. It's tough and hard to chew, but full of flavor, which is why it's "steeped" in this soup! When shopping for your cheese, look for a wedge that still has the rind on it. Cut that off to use in the soup.
Look for sun dried tomatoes that are in a bag, not a jar or can-- you want just the tomatoes and not any oil.

Nutrition

courses: Soup

cuisine: Italian

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