Tangy, Warming Chicken, Artichoke + Spinach Soup
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Great combinations
Great flavor combos never seem to go out-of-style. There’s Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Chicken with Spinach and Mozzarella, the list goes on. But I have to say this soup is one of our all-time favorites. It’s bright, silky, with a hit of lemon, creamy . . . really delicious.
The soup pot
Did I mention how unbelievably easy this soup is? You pretty much throw it all into a crock pot in the morning, spend a few minutes on it later, then eat.
Here’s the other thing. Even though there’s nothing more inviting, or warming on a frigid day than coming home to a pot of soup simmering on the stove, you really can’t always leave a pot of soup simmering on the stove all day. Hello Fire Department.
I won’t deny it, some of the soup-y vibe is lost making this in a crockpot. But – the benefits far outweigh the downside.
This is a soup you can set-up in the morning and then go off to work, skiing, shopping, out to lunch, whatever. And when you return, you’ll have a scant 15 minutes active time and about 15 minutes slow cooker time before it’s on the table.
One other thing
One other thing is amazing about this soup. It’s amazingly healthy. All those flavors described in the first paragraph, above, are real. But the heft, the texture, the majority of the creaminess come from one superpower ingredient: riced cauliflower.
Like it or hate it, riced cauliflower is kind of a miracle addition. There’s a good amount of it in here but I’ve yet to find anyone who can actually identify the flavor or where the body of the soup comes from. And cauliflower, love it or hate it, is a cruciferous vegetable, chock full of nutrients. Fiber, antioxidants, choline, and so on.
So go ahead, try this soup. You won’t look back. And if any cauliflower-haters come for dinner, just hide the evidence. And lie, if you have to. No one will guess.
Chicken, Artichoke + Spinach Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless, chicken breasts
- 1- 12 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (if you can't find frozen, use canned)
- 3 cups frozen riced cauliflower
- 6 oz cream cheese, can use reduced fat
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup milk, any kind
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 5 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped or 2-3 tsp dried
Instructions
- To a 6-8 slow cooker, add chicken, artichoke hearts, cauliflower, cream cheese, broth, onion, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or set to Low and cook for 6-7 hours.
- Using 2 forks, shred chicken in crock pot. Or, remove and shred on a cutting board, if it's easier.
- In a separate bowl, combine cream and flour, whisking till smooth. Then, stir flour mixture, mozzarella, spinach and the shredded chicken (if you removed it), to the slow cooker. Add juice of a lemon. Stir, cover and let simmer for 15-30 minutes before serving.
- Add to bowls and sprinkle parsley over top.
