Chicken Florentine
Ready in less than 30 minutes, Chicken Florentine, made with tender pan-fried chicken coated in a rich and creamy spinach cream sauce, makes an easy, impressive chicken dinner.
Servings: 4
Calories: 485kcal
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 thin chicken cutlets
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-½ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 shallot minced
- ½ cup dry white wine or additional broth
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- parsley for serving optional
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Place the cutlets between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until the cutlets are even in thickness. Pay dry.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off excess flour.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Once melted, add the chicken to the pan, working in batches to prevent overcrowding your skillet.
- Cook the chicken cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on each side and nearly cooked through.
- Transfer chicken to a clean plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet to melt. Once melted, add in the shallot and saute, over medium heat for 30 seconds until just fragrant.
- Add in the wine and chicken broth and deglaze the pan scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Season the broth and wine mixture by adding in oregano, red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon each of pepper and kosher salt, and bring the mixture to a simmer, continuing to cook over medium heat. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture reduces by half.
- Add the cream, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring often.
- Once the sauce is simmering, lower the heat to low and whisk in the parmesan until melted. the grated parmesan cheese, until smooth.
- Add in the spinach and cook on low, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, to let the spinach gently wilt into the sauce.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce, or spoon the sauce over the chicken, and simmer for 3-4 minutes just to warm through the chicken and to ensure it reaches 165 degrees F.
- Serve warm with fresh minced parsley and additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Video
Notes
White Wine: Select a dry white wine, like Pinot Grigrio, Chardonnay, or Reisling. If you don't cook with alcohol, replace the wine with additional chicken stock.
Spinach: If you use mature spinach, be sure to remove stems and chop in half, so that it will wilt into the Florentine Sauce.
Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
Low-Carb: Omit the flour and reduce the chicken broth to ½ cup. You may need to simmer the florentine sauce a bit longer to reduce the sauce, as there will be no flour coating on the chicken which helps thicken the sauce quickly.
Add Mushrooms: Add up to 1 cup of sliced button, Baby Bella, or shitake mushrooms, along with the shallots.
Storage: Store leftover Chicken Florentine in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the chicken and cream sauce in a dry skillet until just warmed through. I don't recommend freezing, as the cream can separate when thawed. W
Nutrition
Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 627mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2623IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2mg