Chicken and Spinach Soup

My freezer started to run low on food for my husband to take for lunch, so I had to come up with some new recipes to get him to continue to eat his vegetables. Sometimes, I look at what I have in the house, and make up a recipe from there, as was the case today. I got a fresh bunch of spinach in the share yesterday, and I never can use it fast enough. So I knew I had to use it today, or it would wilt. So I saw chicken thighs in the fridge and decided to throw them together to make a soup. It turned out awesome, so I had to share it right away. I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I have.

Chicken and Spinach Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 lbs. chicken thighs cut roughly into 1 inch chunks

6 c chicken broth

1 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans

1 juice of lemon

1 bunch fresh spinach roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Sautee the onions and garlic until just slightly golden. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Once brown add the chicken broth and cannellini beans. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then add in the spinach and lemon juice. The spinach may look like it’s over flowing the pot, but it won’t. It will wilt down fairly quickly. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally, but be gentle because you don’t want to break the beans up too much. Taste and add salt and pepper. You will need more than you think but start in small amounts and gradually add until you are satisfied. 

To Freeze: Allow to cool completely. Then portion into single serving freezer safe containers, leaving 3/4 inch space between the soup and the lid. 

To reheat: 

Stove top- Place the soup into a sauce pan. Put a cover on it and let it melt and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Microwave-remove from freezer, remove lid and microwave from 2-5 minutes depending on the size of your container and your microwave