Chicken Florentine Recipe

My creamy Chicken Florentine recipe is a twist on a classic! It’s made with seasoned chicken, an easy wine and cream sauce with onion, garlic, and spinach, and shredded, melty mozzarella cheese on top.

If you’re familiar with the blog, you know I love taking classic recipes and switching them up. And that’s exactly what I did with this Chicken Florentine recipe! Typically, this dish is made with sautéed chicken that’s then served over a bed of spinach with a white sauce poured on top. I got a little creative with the basics and am loving my creamy Chicken Florentine version.

I start with seasoned chicken that I sauté. Then, I prepare a wine and cheese pan sauce featuring onion, garlic, and spinach — that’s right, I add the spinach directly to the sauce instead of waiting for serving! I spoon the sauce over the chicken and then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top. Pop it under the broiler so that it gets bubbly and golden brown, and voila! It sounds so good, doesn’t it? Plus, it’s all done in just 30-minutes. 

For a weeknight dinner, it doesn’t get much better than that!

INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• Chicken – I like using boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins best. If you find that the breasts are too thick, you can slice them horizontally to create cutlets.
• All-Purpose Flour – You’ll add this to the outside of the chicken so that it sautés up nice and crispy! If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute it with your favorite GF flour.
• Butter – For sautéeing! In this recipe, I like using butter instead of oil.
• Onion & Garlic – The base of my delicious creamy wine sauce.
• White Wine – If you feel uncomfortable cooking with wine, you can use chicken broth instead. It is important to note that the alcohol will burn off as it cooks.
• Heavy Cream – This signature sauce wouldn’t be the same without a bit of cream. You can also use Half and Half to make it a bit lighter.
• Spinach – You can use fresh or frozen for this dish! As a note, I personally prefer fresh, but frozen will make reducing the sauce quicker and easier.
• Mozzarella Cheese – To give you the bubbly and cheesy results you’re after.
• Nutmeg – A touch of this stuff goes a long way as a garnish.
• Fresh Parsley – For garnishing as well!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FLORENTINE

1. Sauté The Chicken. Make sure to grease a baking dish before you get started. Then, season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper and a light dusting of flour on each side. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the meat. Sauté until golden brown, or about 3-5 minutes on each side. Place the chicken aside and cover it so that it stays warm.
2. Make The Sauce. Using the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Pour the wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet and stir until it comes to a boil. This will reduce the liquid by half. Next, add the cream and bring it to a boil again. Add in the spinach and any juices from the chicken and cook until your greens have wilted.
3. Simmer & Broil. Let the sauce simmer until it thickens and season to taste with the salt and pepper, then preheat your broiler. Place the chicken in an even layer in your baking dish and spoon the sauce over it. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and place the baking dish under the broiler until the cheese becomes bubbly and golden brown. Garnish with a bit of parsley and nutmeg and serve!

What Does Florentine Mean In A Recipe?

A Florentine-style recipe always includes spinach. When a dish is prepared “à la Florentine,” it usually means that the main ingredients are a type of protein (like eggs, fish, or poultry) that is served over a bed of spinach that has been simmered in butter. 

What Goes Well With Chicken Florentine?

There is much that you can pair with this dish! You can keep things simple and serve up some veggies (like these roasted vegetables with honey and balsamic syrup) or a salad made with simple ingredients. If you’re looking for something a bit more hearty, you can serve it with mashed potatoes, pasta, or even rice.

What Is The Origin Of Chicken Florentine?

This dish has been around since the 16th century, when Catherine de Medici, an aristocrat from Florence married a prince from France. She wanted to bring her favorite foods with her when she moved. She went as far as bringing along spinach seeds and her favorite chefs to France with her. This chicken dish was one of her chosen meals!

This post, originally published on Kevin is Cooking March 6, 2019, has been updated with new content, photos and/or video in July 28, 2022.

Chicken Florentine Recipe + Video

This Chicken Florentine recipe features tender sautéed chicken, a creamy spinach sauce, and plenty of melted cheese on top.

4.92 from 12 votes

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Course: Dinners

Cuisine: Melting Pot

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 712kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins (See Note 1)
• salt
• black pepper
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp butter divided
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 1 lb fresh spinach or frozen (See Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Grease a 9×13" casserole dish or baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, then lightly dust each side with flour.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side (3 for cutlets, 5 for entire breast).
• Place cooked chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
• Add wine (or stock) to the skillet and stir to pick up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and reduce wine by half. Add the cream and bring to a boil then reduce by half.
• Add the fresh spinach and any accumulated juices from chicken; continue cooking until spinach wilts.

  Simmer until sauce thickens again (See Note 2). Season to taste. Preheat oven broiler.
• Arrange sautéed chicken in bottom of pan. Spoon spinach sauce mixture on top of chicken and evenly distribute mozzarella cheese on top.

  Place under the broiler for several minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Garnish with nutmeg and parsley before serving.

Notes

1. If breasts are large, slice horizontally in half to make chicken cutlets.

 

2. Feel free to substitute two 10 ounce packages of thawed and drained frozen cut-leaf spinach for the 1 pound fresh spinach. I prefer fresh spinach, but it takes longer to reduce sauce. Using frozen is easier and quicker.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 712kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 231mg | Sodium: 748mg | Potassium: 1702mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 11719IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 423mg | Iron: 5mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!