Chicken Florentine Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1 large shallots or 1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled & diced
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups fresh Baby Spinach
1 cup half-and-half cream or 1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and season with salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a 2-3 qt saucepan.
Add Chicken and cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the same pan and add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 min or until onions are translucent. Add Garlic, Thyme & Cayenne, Salt & Pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Add flour to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the Chicken stock slowly to mixture. Cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup thickens.
Add the Half & Half & cook and stir until thickened. Add Chicken and Spinach, cooking for another 5-10 minute Check the seasonings and add more Salt, Pepper or Cayenne to taste.
Serve with Homemade Croutons.