Chicken Polenta Soup
This easy chicken polenta soup combines tender chicken, creamy cornmeal, Parmesan cheese and baby spinach for a hearty comfort-food dinner.
This soup is reason number 1,284,735 that I always make extra chicken whenever chicken is on the menu. Because leftover chicken means that a warm, creamy, dreamy pot of chicken polenta soup can be bubbling away on your stove in about 25 minutes—and that is an excellent reason to plan ahead!
If you’ve ever had a bowl of soft, buttery polenta, imagine turning it into a cozy soup with tender chicken, baby spinach and plenty of Parmesan cheese. And if chicken and spinach are your idea of soup perfection, this easy chicken ramen soup is another quick and cozy favorite. If polenta is new to you, you have a scrumptious comfort-food experience ahead of you. Let’s make it!
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🤔 What is polenta?
- 🍗 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 Here’s how you make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Chicken Polenta Soup
- 💫 Variations on this recipe
- ❤️ Other chicken soup recipes we love!
- 🤔 We want to know what you think!
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: A creamy, comforting chicken soup thickened with fine cornmeal and filled with Parmesan cheese and baby spinach.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: 6 servings
- Calories: 200
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Cozy weeknight dinners, using up leftover chicken and chilly days
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🌽 Creamy without cream: Fine cornmeal gently thickens the broth and gives the soup its cozy polenta texture.
- 🍗 Leftover chicken magic: Cooked chicken makes this hearty soup quick and easy enough for a weeknight.
- 🧀 Parmesan adds richness: A generous handful melts right into the broth for savory, cheesy flavor.
- 🥬 Spinach keeps it fresh: Baby spinach adds color and a helping of veggies with almost no extra work.
- ⏰ Ready in 25 minutes: It delivers serious comfort-food flavor without a long simmer.
🤔 What is polenta?
Polenta is a traditional Italian dish made by slowly simmering ground cornmeal in water or broth until it is soft and creamy. It can be served warm and spoonable, or cooled until firm, cut into squares and fried in butter. I KNOW. Scrumptious.
🍗 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Chicken broth: This forms the base of the soup, so use a good-quality broth that you like (I like the kinds that come in the box more than the ones in the can). I usually use low-sodium broth so I can control the seasoning.
- Fine yellow cornmeal: Look for finely ground cornmeal rather than coarse cornmeal or prepared polenta. The fine texture cooks quickly and gives the soup its creamy consistency.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly shredded Parmesan melts much more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind. Finely grate it so it disappears easily into the soup.
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach is tender enough to add directly to the pot—no stemming or chopping required!
- Cooked chicken: This recipe is perfect for leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken. Shred or chop it into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the soup.
- Butter: The optional spoonful of softened butter on top makes the soup extra-rich and gives it that classic buttery-polenta flavor. Highly recommended!
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Pour the chicken broth into a large, deep saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
STEP 2: Slowly pour the cornmeal into the simmering broth in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened.
STEP 3: Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and simmer for one more minute. Stir in the baby spinach and shredded chicken, then cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
STEP 4: Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Now comes my favorite part: add a little dollop of soft butter on top.
OH YES.
The butter part is optional, but I am here to tell you that butter and polenta of any kind are a match made in heaven, so I highly, highly recommend this final step.
Make sure you get chicken and spinach and a little bit of that butter all in the first glorious spoonful. Feel very very happy.
🤔 Recipe FAQs
Yes, but a coarser cornmeal may take longer to cook and will give the soup a more textured consistency. Fine yellow cornmeal makes the smoothest, creamiest soup.
Absolutely! Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut. Remove the skin and shred or chop the meat before adding it to the soup.
Yes. Whisk the cooked polenta into the warm broth a little at a time until the soup reaches the consistency you like. If your polenta already contains cheese or butter, taste the soup before adding more.
Yes, but the cornmeal will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits. Refrigerate it in a covered container for up to three days, then gently reheat it with additional chicken broth until it returns to a soup-like consistency.
I wish I could say yes, but nope. The polenta can become grainy after freezing and thawing, and the spinach may lose its texture.
Chopped regular spinach, baby kale or Swiss chard will all work. Kale and chard may need a few extra minutes to become tender.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
We love a piece of Irish brown bread or a butter biscuit with this soup. If you are looking for a more substantial meal, add a sandwich or a salad on the side…here are some of our faves!
Let’s stir up a pot of creamy, cheesy chicken soup deliciousness!
Chicken Polenta Soup
This easy chicken polenta soup combines tender chicken, creamy cornmeal, Parmesan cheese and baby spinach for a hearty comfort-food dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Butter, softened (optional)
Instructions
- Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large deep saucepan. Pour the cornmeal into the broth in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the soup is slightly thickened.
- Whisk in cheese and simmer for one more minute. Stir in spinach and chicken and simmer for another 3-5 minutes until spinach is wilted and chicken is heated through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Last but not least – and this is optional – float a dollop of butter on top of each serving. This is decadent, but if you have ever had a bowl of warm polenta with butter you will understand why we NEVER skip this step in our house. :)
Notes
-
- Chicken broth: This forms the base of the soup, so use a good-quality broth that you like (I like the kinds that come in the box more than the ones in the can. I usually use low-sodium broth so I can control the seasoning.
-
- Fine yellow cornmeal: Look for finely ground cornmeal rather than coarse cornmeal or prepared polenta. The fine texture cooks quickly and gives the soup its creamy consistency.
-
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly shredded Parmesan melts much more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind. Finely grate it so it disappears easily into the soup.
-
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach is tender enough to add directly to the pot—no stemming or chopping required!
-
- Cooked chicken: This recipe is perfect for leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken. Shred or chop it into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the soup.
-
- Butter: The optional spoonful of softened butter on top makes the soup extra-rich and gives it that classic buttery-polenta flavor. Highly recommended!
💫 Variations on this recipe
- 🌶️ Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes along with the chicken and spinach.
- 🍄 Add mushrooms: Sauté sliced mushrooms in a little butter and stir them into the finished soup.
- 🥓 Bring on the bacon: Sprinkle crumbled cooked bacon over each serving for a salty, smoky crunch.
- 🌿 Add fresh herbs: Stir in chopped parsley, thyme or rosemary just before serving.
- 🥬 Swap the greens: Use chopped kale or Swiss chard in place of the baby spinach, giving them a few extra minutes to soften.
- 🍋 Brighten it up: Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving to balance the rich Parmesan and polenta.
- 🧀 Try another cheese: Replace some or all of the Parmesan with finely shredded Pecorino Romano for a sharper, saltier flavor.
❤️ Other chicken soup recipes we love!
🤔 We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Love this creative soup recipe! Perfect for winter comfort. I will definitely be making this one again!
I’m so glad! The polenta makes it super comforting, I think. :)
Can I use already cooked polenta (leftover)in this recipe.. The leftover was made with milk, cheese and butter.
I think that would work just fine! Give it a taste of course, but you might not need all the parmesan cheese and the butter in the recipe, since your cooked polenta already has those in it. :)
I’ve had an lonely container of cornmeal in my cupboard practically screaming to be used so this is perfect n looks delicious .. n my husband puts oliveoil on everything so this is a winWin for many reasons. Going to make it!
Hurray! Sounds like a sign to me. :)
Kate!!! this dish looks amazing! I love polenta and I am surely making this dish!
Polenta of all kinds is the best, right?
some people garnish everything with a swirl of olive oil, but butter is my way to go! what a great soup idea–it’s one i haven’t seen before!
Everything is better with butter! :)
Save me a bowl Kate! This looks amazing! Looks so easy too. Just the way I like it!
Your bowl is waiting, Mary Ann! :)
GORGEOUS! I love polenta…..so much, but never had like this before and leftover chicken makes me happy ’cause I get to make other stuff with it. Those soup looks SO satisfying!! Gotta try this one :) Like comfort in a bowl. Pinned!
Thanks for the pin, my friend!