VTV: Spinach

Another week, another vegetable. This week it’s spinach, one of my all-time favorites. How many ways have I cooked spinach over the years?

Here is one of my most requested recipes.

Chicken and Spinach Soup

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 pound washed spinach or 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach (defrosted) or half of a 16 ounces bag of frozen chopped spinach (easier and doesn’t need to be defrosted)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken broth

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer the chicken breasts in about 3 cups of water until tender and use the cooking liquid as part of the chicken broth. You can either leave the chicken breasts whole, or, as I prefer, shred them into bite-sized pieces.

If using fresh spinach, chop coarsely. (It will cook quickly when added to the soup.)

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and cook for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, a little at a time, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. (This is a velouté sauce, and it will only be slightly thickened.) Add the chopped spinach, the rest of the chicken broth, and the chicken breasts. When heated through, remove from the stove and stir in the sour cream. Season to taste.

Serve with rolls, toast, fresh bread and a salad. Serves 4.

This is my offering for Vindicate the Vegetable, created by Nina of Love, Sweet Love.