Although this soup is made with just five ingredients, the cooking technique packs the soup with flavor. You start by poaching bone-in chicken thighs in chicken broth, which amps up the flavor of the broth and leaves you with meat so tender, it practically falls off the bone. A swirl of pesto at the end delivers a cheesy, herby hit and turns the soup a vibrant green.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups tightly packed spinach (3 ounces)
- 1/2 cup pesto
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large pot and cover with the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken from the pot to a cutting board. Skim the surface of the broth with a slotted spoon to remove any skin that’s floated to the surface. Remove the meat from the chicken bones and shred with two forks; discard the skin. Add the meat back to the pot along with the spinach.
- Turn the heat to medium until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Swirl the pesto into the soup and season with salt.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 887 |
| Total Fat | 63 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 59 g |
| Cholesterol | 297 mg |
| Sodium | 1639 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 887 |
| Total Fat | 63 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 59 g |
| Cholesterol | 297 mg |
| Sodium | 1639 mg |
Reviews
amazing soup i used chicken breast instead and it was a great recipe
With some adjustments, very nice and very easy. For us, most soup recipes don’t use near enough liquid. I wound up using 11 cups of broth (and later, after cooking, added another cup of just water). Note: I use Better Than Bouillion, which I highly recommend, to make broths. I added more spinach (nearly an entire 8 oz bag) and added carrots and egg noodles that I had on hand. Delicious! Next time I make it, however, I will reduce the pesto to about 1/3 of a cup. It was a tad too salty for us, and I can only imagine how salty the broth would’ve been if I’d only used 6 cups (in my opinion, just way too little broth, anyway).
I like the idea of the pesto. I will make this soup to the letter to say that I tried it. No variations. I’ve made plenty of soups with all types of ingredients but never pesto added. Since the chicken isn’t marinated before cooking, I will use regular salted broth to boil the chicken in. I usually use a low or no sodium broth. And I’ll crisp up the skin for my Lulu.
I made this tonight and it was excellent!! Everyone loved it. Here are the adjustments I made- I didn’t add any extra salt. I added orzo pasta during the last ten minutes boiling the chicken. Then I included some fresh, quartered cherry tomatoes with the spinach. Finally, I threw in some splashes of lemon juice to finish it off. Super easy and filling.
I used rotisserie chicken and added jalapeño for a little kick. Quick and simple recipe!
I made this but used mirapoix anyway just for extra flavor. I also used extra garlic and added fresh black pepper just cause that’s how we roll at our house. I googled how much salt to add, settled on half a tsp since the recipe didn’t say. My fiance is the chef of the house but I made this because he was sick. He LOVED it – said it was better than he had even dared to hope. (Air fried the leftover chicken skins as a treat for my doggo too! She also gives this recipe 5 stars.)
Not bad, not great. It’s just kind of single-note. I added some artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes to the leftovers, and that helped a little.
I”ve made this (or a variation of) many times. The first time I made it as is and it was great… but it’s also a really good base for any additions you like. I’ve put onions…carrots..used vegetable stock..added gnocchi or bow tie pasta. It’s always good!
Looks yummy
Really good and easy to make. The perfect thing for a blustery March afternoon!