Creamy Chicken Florentine Recipe made with lightly floured chicken breasts cooked in butter until golden and served nestled in a luscious parmesan cream sauce filled with spinach and mushrooms. An easy, comforting one-pan meal the whole family will love – even the kids.
One-Pan Creamy Chicken Florentine Recipe
I made this creamy chicken dinner on a whim the other night. I realized as I was making it that I don’t really make a lot of recipes with heavy cream-based sauces. This makes zero sense. Some of my very favorite recipes are just like this one: chicken pounded and dredged in flour, then cooked in butter and served in a finger-licking delicious white sauce usually filled with some kind of veggie.
Anyway, it was a huge dinner success. The whole family, even my mac-n-cheese and pizza-obsessed 6-year-old gobbled it up (then requested it for lunch the next day).
Additional reasons to love this recipe include,
- Everything cooks in one skillet.
- The ingredients are super simple (check them out just below).
- It’s easy to modify
Some of you may be wondering, What is Chicken Florentine?
Before I can tell you what chicken florentine is exactly, I need to first explain the word Florentine (pronounced “FLOR-en-teen”) to you. Often expressed à la Florentine, it is a recipe that is prepared in the style of the Italian region of Florence, or more simply, a recipe that features spinach.
Traditional dishes prepared à la Florentine would have looked a bit different than what you see here as they were made by simmering spinach in a very generous amount of melted butter.
RELATED: One Pan Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Recipe
Ingredients in Chicken Florentine
- Chicken
- All-purpose flour
- Butter and Olive oil
- Onion or shallots
- Garlic cloves
- White wine
- Mushrooms
- Chicken stock
- Fresh spinach
- Whole Milk
- Heavy whipping cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
There are several modifications that can be made to the above ingredient list:
Do I have to dredge the chicken in flour? No. This is an optional step. Definitely skip this part if you prefer a “lighter” chicken florentine recipe or you’re in a hurry as it does add a few extra minutes of prep time.
Do I have to pound my chicken to equal thickness? No. However, it is highly recommended if,
- You want your chicken to cook faster.
- Cook at the same rate.
- Not burn.
In other words, if you don’t want to pound your chicken (I don’t like doing it either) I highly recommend baking your chicken instead. You can always get started with the florentine sauce as the chicken bakes.
What’s a good substitute for white wine? Additional chicken stock or broth.
Do I have to add mushrooms? Nope. I add mushrooms for flavor, but if you don’t like them leave them out. You’ll find that some chicken florentine recipes have mushrooms, while others do not.
RELATED: One Pot Creamy Mushroom Tortellini
How to Make Chicken Florentine
1. Prepare your chicken breasts. Pound each chicken breast to equal thickness (approximately 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick). Transfer to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Dredge the chicken in flour (optional). Add your flour to a large ziplock bag and work in batches to coat the chicken in flour.
3. Cook the chicken. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Transfer the dredged chicken breasts to the skillet, gently shaking off any excess flour before adding to the skillet. Cook until golden-browned, approximately 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with any remaining chicken.
4. Sauté the aromatics. To the same skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the chopped onion. Cook until softening then add the garlic. Continue to cook for approximately 1 minute before…
5. Add the white wine. If you have no problems cooking with wine, this is a wonderful place to do so. I added 2 whole cups. It sounds like a lot, but most of it will evaporate, leaving only the flavor behind. Once the liquid amount has reduced by about half,
6. Stir in the mushrooms (if using). You’ll want to cook the mushrooms just until they start softening and drop some of their liquid.
7. Sprinkle with flour. The flour will help thicken your sauce. Yes, it is optional but if it is skipped keep in mind that your cream sauce may somewhat soupier (though just as delicious and perfect when served over rice). Gently whisk in the chicken broth.
8. Add the spinach. The star of this recipe, let’s not forget. If you use fresh spinach (which I always prefer), keep in mind that what appears to be a ton of spinach really…isn’t. Simply add it to your skillet in batches (it wilts really fast).
9. Complete your florentine sauce. To complete your sauce stir in the whole milk and heavy whipping cream, mixing well to combine with the spinach, mushrooms, and onions. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the grated parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium.
10. Return chicken to the skillet. Gently nestle the cooked chicken back into the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Allow the chicken to simmer for approx 4-5 minutes, or until heated through. Best served immediately.
What can I serve with chicken florentine?
This is such a brilliant creamy cheesy chicken recipe filled with loads of healthy veggies that the only thing really missing is, carbs. Of course, you could always serve this recipe with extra vegetables like roasted Brussels sprouts or asparagus, but what it really deserves are carbs. Any of the following come highly recommended,
- Cooked pasta
- Tortellini
- Ravioli
- Mashed potatoes
- Cooked rice
- Crusty bread to mop up all that extra cream sauce
More Chicken Recipes,
Baked Honey Soy Chicken Thighs Recipe
Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Recipe
Easy Chicken Stroganoff Recipe
Chicken Curry Recipe; How to Make Chicken Curry
If you try making this easy Creamy Chicken Florentine Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Chicken Florentine Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper - to season
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour - for dredging, plus more if needed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 6 cloves garlic - chopped
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 10 ounces cremini mushrooms - sliced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream - (or half-and-half)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese - grated
- freshly grated black pepper - to season
Instructions
- Transfer one chicken breast to a large ziplock bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, pound your chicken until it is approximately 1/2-3/4 inch thickness. Set aside to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and generously season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add the all-purpose flour to a (new) large zip-lock bag. Use kitchen tongs to transfer 3 chicken breasts to the zip-lock bag filled with flour and seal. Gently toss to coat the chicken in flour.
- Add one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil to a large 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat. Heat until melted and shimmering. Transfer the dredged chicken breasts to the skillet, gently shaking off any excess flour before adding to the skillet. Cook until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet you used to cook the chicken. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook for an additional minute before adding the wine. Increase heat to high, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, and allow the liquid to reduce by at least half.
- Reduce heat back to medium-high, and stir in the sliced mushrooms. Continue to cook until the mushrooms start to soften, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the mushrooms and onions with 2 tablespoons flour and mix well combine. Slowly stir in the chicken broth, dissolving any clumps that may have formed with the flour.
- Add the spinach, working in batches if needed. Cook until wilted, stirring as needed.
- Stir in the whole milk and heavy whipping cream, mixing well to combine with the spinach, mushrooms, and onions. Bring your sauce to a gentle boil and stir in the grated parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium.
- Gently nestle the cooked chicken back into the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Allow the chicken to simmer for approx 4-5 minutes, or until heated through.
- Serve immediately with cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes, if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
- For the chicken - If you prefer not to dredge your chicken breasts in flour, feel free to skip that part. I still recommend pounding your chicken to equal thickness as this will help guarantee faster cooking time and equal cooking time.
- You may also bake your chicken breasts in the oven and add them to your homemade cream sauce after they've been baked. This will allow you to do two things at once - cook the chicken and prepare the sauce. Plus, since you will be cooking in the oven, pounding to equal thickness isn't necessary. Read my post on how to cook chicken breasts for all the details.
- If you prefer not to cook with wine, substitute with 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth.
- You can also use frozen spinach. Simply substitute with 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach that has been thawed and drained well.
- Keep leftovers stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up 4 days.
- I like using salted butter but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
Nutrition
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
