A marriage of traditional Florentine chicken with pasta and basil pesto. Sliced chicken breast fillet with spinach, garlic, white wine, cream, pesto and pasta.
Dear Chicken Florentine. I like you. I like your spinach and your cream sauce.
But honestly? I do not love you. You’re missing a bit of pizzaz.
You need that garlic, basil, and parmesan punch of pesto.
Now we have what it takes to love. Go and multiply.
Updated recipe and photos, first published in 2011
Florentine pesto pasta with chicken
We used fresh spinach in this recipe, but you can use it frozen too. Simply thaw and drain.
ingredients
-
12 ounces dried short pasta (bow ties, penne, gemelli, etc.)
-
4 chicken breast chops (1 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
-
Salt
-
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
-
3 garlic cloves, chopped
-
1/2 cup white wine or broth
-
8-16 ounces fresh spinach*, washed, long stems removed and chopped
-
Black pepper
-
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
-
1/4 cup (or more) pesto
- *To wash spinach, fill a clean sink with cold water and soak the spinach in it. Move it around a bit to loosen dirt. Fresh spinach is usually quite dirty, so you may need to soak it a few times. Remove the spinach and shake off excess water. Place the spinach leaves on a clean towel and pat dry.
method
-
Start cooking the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water (add enough salt to make the water taste salty) to a boil. Add the dried pasta and cook al dente.
-
Cook chicken:
While you prepare the pasta, cook the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sear the chicken breasts on both sides over medium-high heat. They don’t need to be cooked through, just browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
-
Sweat onions:
Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onions are cooking, cut the chicken into strips. Place any pieces that are fully cooked in one pile and those that need a little cooking in another pile.
-
Add garlic, then white wine or broth:
When the onions are just starting to brown, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the white wine or broth and boil down vigorously until the liquid has reduced by half.
-
Add spinach, chicken:
Add the spinach and undercooked chicken pieces to the pan. Use tongs to flip them over to brush with the juices in the pan. Continue cooking, turning and stirring frequently, until spinach is wilted and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
-
Combine Chicken, Spinach, Pesto, Pasta, Cream:
Turn off the heat and add some black pepper, the pile of cooked chicken pieces and the pesto. Stir to combine. Drain noodles and place in a large bowl. Pour the cream into the skillet and mix well. Pour the contents of the pan into the bowl with the noodles and mix well. Serve immediately.
Links:
Perfect Chicken Florentine by I am Baker
Chicken Florentine Phyllo Pie by Diethood
