Chicken Florentine

Chicken Florentine is a classic chicken recipe made with pan-seared chicken breasts smothered in a delicious spinach cream sauce!

This is one of those recipes that looks and tastes like it came from a restaurant! Some of our other favorite, restaurant worthy chicken recipes are our popular Creamy Chicken Marsala and this classic Chicken Francese!

chicken recipe with spinach and tomatoes

Chicken Florentine Recipe

There are a few different versions of chicken florentine but the basic recipe is pan seared chicken breasts simmered in a creamy spinach sauce. Diced tomatoes are sometimes added, as we have here. Mushrooms are sometimes added as well, but as much as we love our shrooms, we kept them out of this chicken dish.

The tomatoes add a nice pop of acidity to a rich and creamy sauce, so we felt that was a perfect addition here, but feel free to leave them out if you’re not a tomato fan.

I’m telling you guys, this sauce is so creamy and delicious you can eat it with a spoon! So make sure that you serve this chicken florentine with something on the side to sop up all that sauce.

How Do You Make Chicken Florentine?

Start by getting a good, proper sear on your chicken breasts. You want them to take on a really nice, brown color like you see here to get the most flavor in this recipe. Searing the chicken breasts not only adds good flavor but it locks in the juices in the chicken so the breasts stay moist instead of dried out.

Pan seared chicken breasts for making chicken florentine

Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate, covered with foil. Start the sauce in the same skillet by cooking down onion and garlic in butter and olive oil, followed by flour to make a roux.

Deglaze the pan with white wine and whisk the break up any lumps. Now it’s time to pour in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, seasonings and the fresh spinach. Yep, you’re going to be adding a lot more spinach than you think you need but just keep on going.

Fresh spinach added to a cream sauce in a skillet

Once the spinach wilts down into the sauce, stir in a can of drained diced tomatoes and test the sauce for seasonings, adjusting if needed. Now add the seared chicken breasts back into the skillet and tuck down into the sauce.

Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for 7-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Chicken Florentine recipe in a skillet

What Should I Serve With This Chicken Recipe?

Definitely something for sopping up all the sauce, because trust me you won’t want to leave any behind. Besides a good loaf of crusty bread with butter, here are a few ideas!

Chicken recipe with spinach and tomatoes in a cream sauce

Can You Make Chicken Florentine Ahead Of Time?

Definitely! And it’s super delicious, even more so heated up. Cover the chicken and gently reheat it in the oven at 350 until it’s warmed though. Slicing the chicken breasts before warming it back up helps to get the job done faster without drying out the chicken.

The microwave works fine, too. Again if you slice the chicken up first it will warm up quicker so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

Chicken Florentine recipe on a dinner plate

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Chicken Florentine on a dinner plate

Chicken Florentine

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x

Chicken Florentine is a favorite comfort food dinner recipe! Tender chicken breasts smothered in a creamy spinach and tomato sauce!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 large chicken breasts (or 6 smaller breasts, about 2 pounds total)
  • Kosher salt and fresh black pepper for seasoning the chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups packed spinach
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes, drained

Instructions

  1. Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Once the butter and oil are hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until nicely browned.
  2. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
  3. Add the onion to the same skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook the flour out for 1 minute. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  4. Add the heavy cream, half and half, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Stir the spinach and stir into the sauce to wilt, then add the diced tomatoes.
  5. Test the sauce for seasoning, then add the chicken breasts back to the skillet, tucking down into the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and gently simmer for 7-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe Notes

The sauce will thicken more as it cools slightly. You can cover the skillet and keep this chicken warm for about 15 minutes before serving.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

 

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1 Response
  1. Sharon

    Amazing! The only thing I did differently was add some sundried tomato oil to the butter and olive oil, and added some the dried tomatoes with the chopped tomatoes. I didn’t have white wine so I used Marsala. Everything else I followed to a ‘t’. I will be making this again!






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