Foods Italian inspired dishes are some of my absolute favorite fares to serve for dinner. There’s nothing quite like a home filled with delightful aromas and comfort food at the end of the day. This easy instant pot chicken Florentine soup is not only a delicious meal but is prepped and ready in only a half-hour!
If you’re looking for the rich, dreamy flavors you’d find from a meal at an Italian restaurant without having to actually go out, this is the meal for you!
Protein-Packed Chicken Florentine Soup
Far from the typical red sauce and pasta dish, you might think of when considering Italian recipes, this chicken Florentine soup is a welcome mix of incredible flavors and ingredients.
The base of this soup starts with some of the best, and maybe unexpected ingredients. Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pureed cannellini beans. Adding the white bean puree to the mix is an interesting inclusion, but really helps turn this soup into a filling meal.
The addition of protein-rich foods is beneficial to your recipe, because they help keep you full longer (always important for this mama cooking for 5 growing boys). Since beans (and chicken, of course) are such a great source of protein, their appearance in this recipe really helps create staying power for dinner. Something pasta can’t do my friend!
While wishing for pasta in meals like this one might be tempting, focusing on protein-filled ingredients really helps create a meal that is lower in carbs, but high in nutritional benefits.
Using Mushrooms in Meals
Let’s talk about another beneficial ingredient in this recipe: White mushrooms. While mushrooms might not contain as much protein as the beans or chicken in the recipe, they are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Mushrooms are a good source of:
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- B Vitamins
- Zinc
- Copper
The antioxidants that mushrooms offer could help rid the body of unnecessary byproducts and free radicals. Antioxidants also serve to potentially help to prevent cell damage as well.
Who doesn’t want to serve meals that deliver not only on flavor but nutritional value as well? This recipe is perfect for nights when comfort food is needed, without having to sacrifice nutrition!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Florentine Soup
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
Delicious EASY instant pot or slow cooker meals?
The slow cooker and instant pot are two of my most used kitchen accessories. They make dinner meals so much easier for busy mamas! Be sure to check out some of my fave recipes below to make your mealtimes a breeze 🙂
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Beef Tenders
- Paleo, Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls
- Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup
- Faux-tato Instant Pot Cauliflower Salad
- Quick & Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Hearty, Tuscan Sausage Potato Soup
This Florentine Soup recipe looks great! Before I make it, could you please clarify a few things? First, how many cans of cannellini beans we use? The recipe ingredients states, “4 – 15 ounce cans cannellini beans”, but the instructions say to drain and rinse one can and puree the other. Second, could you please explain what an 18″ parmesean cheese rind is? Sorry, it’s a bit fancy for me, lol! Lastly, are the sun dried tomatoes dehydrated? I’m only familiar with those packed in oil, so I’m not sure where I will find the ones called for in this recipe. ~Thank you!
Hi Michelle,
It should be 4 cans of beans, two left whole and two pureed.
When Parmesan cheese is made, there is a rind on the outside, which is too tough to chew but full of flavor, hence the benefit of letting it “steep” in the soup. Most Parmesan cheese you can get at a typical grocery store has had the rind removed since most people don’t use it. Look for a wedge of cheese with the rind intact to use it in this soup. Alternatively, you could just increase the amount of shredded Parmesan you use, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
And yes, you can buy sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil; they should be in a bag instead of a can or jar.