Creamy Chicken Soup With Bacon And Spinach Food

CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP WITH BACON AND SPINACH

Steps:

• BACON: Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Arrange bacon strips and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined platter that will absorb extra grease. Chop into 1 inch slices.
• CHICKEN: Season whole chicken breasts with salt, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add seasoned chicken breasts and cook on each side on medium high heat for a total of 3-4 minutes until it's nicely browned.
• Remove browned chicken from the pan, slice it in thick strips and return it back to the skillet.
• Add sliced garlic in the last minute of cooking chicken, cook for 1-2 minutes until browned and fragrant.
• TOMATOES and SPINACH: Add chopped tomatoes to the chicken and cook for 3 minutes on medium until tomatoes release their juices. Add fresh spinach and cook until it wilts. Add bacon pieces.
• SOUP: Stir in chicken broth, Italian seasoning and heavy cream; and bring the mixture to boil. Reduce to simmer and slowly add grated Parmesan cheese - until the cheese melts and makes the soup slightly thicker. Remove from heat.
• Serve immediately.

CREAMY LENTIL & SPINACH SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Put the oil, onions, carrots and celery in a large saucepan, and cook for about 10 mins to soften.
• Stir in the lentils and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 30-35 mins or until the lentils are soft, topping up with water if the mixture begins to dry out. Pop in the spinach and cook for a few mins more, until wilted. Blitz the soup until smooth, then stir through the cream and season. Keep the soup warm over a low heat.
• Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until crisp and golden. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with a little cream and crumble over the crispy bacon.