Creamy Tomato Italian Chicken and White Bean Soup - Recipe

I love those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store. They're deliciously juicy and they lend themselves to a broad range of recipe functions from chicken salads to buffalo wing dips to no-hassle soups.

I'm getting more and more busy, and the weather is getting colder. When I saw that my local grocer was offering a sale on the rotisserie chickens this weekend, I just had to buy one and make a soup I could freeze, making an easy dinner some night when I don't have any time or patience to cook.

This recipe is incredibly simple and completely improvised. It basically is a combination of common kitchen ingredients that I had on hand, and I was able to make it in less than 30 minutes. It's a healthy, hearty, time-saving meal! Enjoy the recipe! I'm certainly going to be making this in the future.


*Pictures to come!* (I forgot to take some before I froze the soup...oops!)

Creamy Tomato Italian Chicken and White Bean Soup

Cook time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients

-1/2 yellow onion, diced
-1-2 tsp. garlic, diced
-2 tsp olive oil
-Rotisserie Chicken (about 1/3 to 1/2 of the meat on the chicken, pulled into pieces or cut into manageable chunks)
-Chicken Broth
-1/2 packet of Italian Dressing Seasoning
-1 can white beans, drained
-1 can tomato sauce
-1 can diced tomatoes
-Balsamic vinegar (just a splash)
-2 tbs. sugar
-2 tsp. oregano
-Spinach (3 heaping handfuls)
-1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
-Pepper to taste

Procedure

Begin by pulling all of the meat off the bird. This is easiest to do when the chicken is still warm from the grocery store. Be wary of bones and tendons. You won't use all of the chicken in the soup, but set aside about 1/3 to 1/2 of the chicken to use in the soup, depending on how hearty you want it to be.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and allow it to sweat. When it becomes translucent, add the garlic and sautee for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, white beans, and diced tomatoes. Stir in about 1/2 the package of italian dressing mix and bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken, sugar, a splash of balsamic vinegar, oregano, and 1/4 c. of greek yogurt. Stir until the yogurt has fully combined with the mixture. Add pepper.

Cover and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add a splash of milk if the mixture does not look creamy enough.

Reduce the heat or turn off the burner, and add 3 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach, stir into the mixture until it wilts. Serve immediately, or refrigerate or freeze for future use!

Bon Appétit!