Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Soup

This is a hearty, rich soup with an extensive ingredient list, which means it’s fun to make and even better to eat. While the recipe calls for chicken breast, I prefer to use boneless-skinless thighs. I also prefer chicken stock to chicken broth. I present these alternatives so you know you have options and should not be a slave to a recipe, it’s just a bunch of suggestions and tips. FYI, this is not a keto friendly soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Chicken breast (or thigh) skin and bone off
  • 8 oz. Lasagna pasta – cut into 2″ strips
  • 64 oz. Chicken broth or stock – your call just don’t use low sodium – yuck
  • 3 oz. Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 0.25 cup shredded parmesan
  • 4 cups Spinach leaves – stems removed and lightly packed
  • 3 TBL Olive oil – divided
  • 3 TBL Butter
  • 3 TBL Flour
  • 1 Onion – diced
  • 3 Celery stalks – diced
  • 4 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 2 tsp Thyme freshly chopped
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Cook Chicken
    1. Dice the chicken into ~1/2″ cubes – best to wear disposable gloves.
    2. Generously salt and pepper the chicken chunks.
    3. Heat cast iron Dutch oven on Med.
    4. Once hot, add 2 TBL olive oil and let warm.
    5. Add chicken chunks. Cook on one side ~4 mins, stir to get fresh side down and cook ~3 more mins.
    6. Transfer to a bowl to rest.
  3. Add 1 TBL oil to pot and once hot add onions & celery. Cook ~5 mins or until they become translucent.
  4. Add garlic & thyme and cook 1 min more. Season with salt and pepper
  5. Make Roux
    1. Add butter to pot and once melted stir in the flour.
    2. Continue to stir as flour cooks 2-3 mins to get a nice toast on the flour without burning it.
    3. Add broth in 2 oz. intervals, stirring the lumps out each interval. Repeat four times.
    4. Add rest of broth and bring soup to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat, add pasta and chicken and simmer 20 mins.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper in stages, don’t try to get to your desired state in one pass.
  8. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, cream and spinach leaves.
  9. Serve in bowl and garnish with basil and parmesan.

Note: Best to buy block cheese and grate yourself. The coat per-shredded cheese with starch to keep shreds from sticking together. That makes it hard for the cheese to melt and the starch will thicken your soup. But if you’re lazy, don’t say I didn’t warn you.