Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Florentine Soup
What is Chicken Florentine? How do I make a healthy Chicken Florentine?
What makes a soup Chicken Florentine, anway? Generally a Chicken Florentine pasta or soup dish is chicken (or another meat), spinach, and rich buttery sauces. I’ve taken out the butter and cream for this healthy adaption, but don’t worry – you won’t miss it.
Can I make healthy Chicken Florentine soup in my Instant Pot?
Yes! This healthy soup version is easy to make in the Instant Pot. It also makes for some great leftovers. And because I know many of y’all are on the 21 Day Fix, this recipe is full of leafy greens to help you get those greens in (and feel free to add even more spinach and arugula to your liking).
Is there a Weight Watchers Chicken Florentine recipe?
OK guys – quick note about this recipe. If you’re on Weight Watchers, it comes out to 4 Weight Watchers points for one (very hefty) serving. But if you leave the parmesan off – it becomes 0 points. Yes. You read that correctly. ZERO. POINTS.
Can I eat Chicken Florentine on the 21 Day Fix?
With this recipe, yes! You can enjoy all the flavors without breaking from the plan!
A couple of notes about this recipe:
The serving sizes are huge! You can easily cut back on serving size, OR just have this alone as a meal.
Like I mentioned, you can go parm-free to make this 0 points for Weight Watchers (YAY). I would still add the parmesan rind as it’s cooking (this gives the soup flavor, and you’ll take it out) – just don’t add any additional parmesan.
You can also add more beans – just remember to apply it towards your container counts on the 21 Day Fix (cannellini beans are freebies on Weight Watchers). You can also puree the beans if you’d like – this would give your soup a creamier texture. I didn’t include that in this recipe because the reason I use the Instant Pot is to be able to make everything with one appliance. But if you don’t mind breaking out the food processor, it’s a quick step that will make it even creamier.
This makes great leftovers!
This recipe is made for a 6qt Instant Pot. Please note that your cooktime may differ if your Instant Pot is a different size.
Here’s how to make Instant Pot Chicken Florentine in the Instant Pot (grab the 21 Day Fix container counts and Weight Watchers points at the bottom of the post!):

Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Florentine Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 c sundried tomatoes not packed in oil - look for them in a pouch in the produce section
- 2 c water
- 15 oz canned cannellini beans
- 1/3 c unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 c chicken broth low-sodium, fat-free
- 8 oz white mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 4" parmesan cheese rind
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 c baby spinach
- 1 c baby arugula
- 1 c parmesan cheese freshly grated
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the sundried 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 one can of cannellini beans and set aside.
- Remove almond milk 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 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” or "Pressure Cook" button and adjust heat setting to high if necessary. Set 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 remove cheese rind. Remove the chicken and shred in a separate dish, then return chicken to the Instant Pot. Add spinach, arugula, and almond milk. Stir until the greens are wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Serve immediately with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese with each serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is such a hit in our home – I hope it will be in yours, too!
Here are the 21 Day Fix container counts (please always double check container counts for yourself – I’m very diligent about getting them right, but, MATH): .75 yellow, 1.5 red, 1 green, 1 blue (use less parmesan if you want this to be lower), 1.5 tsp
Here are the Weight Watchers points: 4 Freestyle points per serving as the recipe is; 0 Freestyle points per serving if you leave the parmesan off
And here are some similar recipes you might want to try out:
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Weight Watchers Pasta Fagioli
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
I don’t have an instant pot. How can I make this stovetop? Thank you!
I haven’t made this on a stovetop yet but you totally could…I would probably keep the directions the same except in a large pan, and I would use a rotisserie chicken (or pre-cooked chicken). I’d let get it to boiling and then turn down the heat and let is simmer for 45 minutes or so while covered. BUT…I haven’t actually tried it yet!
Do you think this recipe would fit in a regular size instant pot if it was doubled?
I feel like it would be a tight squeeze in a 6qt. I think you’d be fine if you have an 8qt!
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but that calorie count seems crazy high to me. Is that for the entire recipe?
The calorie count is correct, with a minor exception – the nutrition calculator won’t allow me to use sun-dried tomatoes packed in water, so the calorie count there is a little high (1/2 c, packed in oil, is 142). However, most of the calories come from the beans (15oz = 485), the parmesan topping (1c = 392), the olive oil (2tbsp = 248), and the chicken (1.5lbs = 776). Because they’re all whole foods, this recipe still works for 21DF or WW, even with he the higher calorie count. 🙂
Should I add cooking time for frozen chicken, or would it remain the same?
The time you’ll cook it for will remain the same…it will just take longer to come to pressure! 🙂
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