Friday, January 18, 2013

Creamy Chicken Florentine Soup - Jaci (from South Beach Diet Supercharged)

This was really good.  We all (2 kids included!) ate this and had seconds.  Glad I added to the recipe to make enough!  We were all full and this is a phase 1 (no carbs or sugars) meal, but we'll be making this a lot, forever, as it's fast and delicious!

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (or onion powder, in my case)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (YUM!)
1/8 tsp. salt (or, omit)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 bonless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth (I used the soup base from Costco)

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. 
Add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper;  cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 7 min. (?) 
Add chicken and spinach; stir for 1 minute. 
Add cream cheese and stir until melted. 
Add broth and bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Serve warm.  I added a little parmesan cheese which was pretty tasty.  I also think that some gnocchi or pasta would make this even heartier, if you want to experiment.

Makes 4 (1 1/4 cup servings).