This quick weeknight dinner is a complete meal in one pan – chicken, spinach, mushrooms and the creamiest, tastiest sauce.
In this recipe
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How to cut chicken chops
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cooking with wine
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Exchange for heavy cream
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Recipes are for play
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What to serve with chicken florentine
Chicken Florentine is a restaurant-feel dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home, ready in 30 minutes. Featuring tender chicken cutlets nestled in a creamy spinach sauce, this recipe uses only one pan and is practically a complete meal in itself. Serve with hot pasta, rice, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Chicken breast chops are dredged in flour to give the meat a light crust and add some body to the sauce. Sautéed mushrooms, garlic, parmesan and wilted spinach add flavor to the creamy sauce that pairs beautifully with the chicken. It’s satisfying but not overly rich, reminiscent of creamed spinach but with the addition of hearty chicken and mushrooms.
How to cut chicken chops
Chances are you can find chicken chops at your local grocery store, often in packs of four. If you don’t see any in the meat aisle, buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can cut them into slivers.
How to Divide a Whole Chicken Breast into Chops: Place a chicken breast on a cutting board and flatten it with one hand. Using a sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife, slice the breast horizontally into 2 chops. Each chicken breast makes 2 chops. For this recipe you will need 4 cutlets or 2 chicken breasts.
cooking with wine
This recipe calls for a small amount of white wine for a number of reasons. The wine helps deglaze the pan—it absorbs aromatic oils and browned bits of chicken that stick to the bottom and sides of the pan. It also adds a bit of acidity and brightens the sauce.
The wine is simmered until the alcohol is gone and only the taste of the wine remains. A dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling is best. A rule of thumb, if you would enjoy the wine with the dish, then it will taste good in the court.
If you’re running out of white wine, dry vermouth is an excellent substitute. You can also prepare it without alcohol. Use chicken broth instead and add a large squirt of fresh lemon juice for some brightness.
Exchange for heavy cream
While this dish has a creamy, rich sauce, it only calls for 1/2 cup heavy cream. Heavy or light cream is the best option as it thickens the sauce and avoids a watery mix. If you want to lighten it up a bit, use half and half. The sauce won’t be quite as luxurious, but it will still have a nice flavor.
Most unsweetened, non-dairy liquid milk frothers, such as almond milk frothers, will also work. If you’re dairy-free, omit the parmesan or use vegan parmesan instead.
Recipes are for play
This recipe is flexible, allowing you to swap out the protein, use frozen spinach in place of fresh, or adapt to different tastes or dietary restrictions:
- Florentine veal: Veal chops are also delicious in this recipe. Keep a close eye on them as you cook them, as they are thin and cook very quickly. Depending on size, you may want 2 veal chops per person.
- Frozen Spinach: Replace the fresh spinach with a 10- or 12-ounce bag of thawed frozen spinach. Squeeze the wet leaves to remove some of the liquid—they don’t need to be completely dry—and add the spinach to the simmering sauce.
- No mushrooms: If you don’t like mushrooms, omit them and add about 1 1/2 ounces more spinach.
- Gluten free: To make this recipe gluten-free, do not dredge the chicken with flour. The sauce will be a little thinner, but still tasty.
What to serve with chicken florentine
If you eat low carb, serve this recipe with a salad and call it a day. Otherwise, a grain or bread works well for soaking up the sauce. Here are some inspirations:
- Rosemary focaccia
- Sliced Vegetable Salad
- Homemade pasta
- Cooked rice
- The easiest garlic bread ever
One Skill Winner Winner Chicken Dinners
- Chicken cacciatore (chicken hunter’s style)
- Fried chicken thighs with potatoes, carrots and vegetables
- Herbes de Provence roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables
- Skillet Chicken Parmesan
- Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Chops
Creamy Florentine Chicken
Can’t find chicken chops at your local grocery store? Purchase 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total). Lay the chicken breasts flat on your cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife to cut them in half horizontally. Each chicken breast makes 2 chops.
I recommend dry white wines for this recipe: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling.
ingredients
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2 tablespoon all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon kosher saltshared, plus more to taste
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground peppershared, plus more to taste
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4 chicken cutlet (1 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
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3 tablespoon olive oildivided
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2 Middle shallotschopped
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8th ounces Cremini mushroomstrimmed and sliced (about 3 cups)
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3 cloves garlicchopped
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1/4 Cup dry white wine
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1/2 Cup heavy cream
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1 ounce fine grated parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
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12 ounces fresh baby spinach
method
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Dredge the chicken:
In a shallow bowl, add the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well with a fork or spoon.
Place a chicken cutlet on the flour. Sprinkle some of the flour mixture on top and press down with your hands. Turn the chicken over to coat both sides evenly, sprinkle flour on any bald spots and shake off the excess. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining chops. Discard leftover flour.
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Cook chicken:
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Tilt the pan to coat it evenly with oil. The oil should shimmer but not smoke. Add the dredged chicken chops in a single layer. Let them cook, without stirring, until bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Flip the chops with tongs and cook the other side until lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. If your pan isn’t big enough, you can cook the chicken in two batches.
Transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with foil. Set it aside while you prepare the sauce, which is prepared in the same pan.
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Cook Vegetables:
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté until they begin to turn translucent, about 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until tender.
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Make the sauce:
Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Bring the wine to a simmer and cook until the smell of alcohol has gone, about 1 minute.
Stir in whipped cream. Bring it to a gentle simmer. Add the spinach in 2 or 3 batches, stirring after each addition until all the leaves have wilted and incorporated into the sauce.
Stir in the parmesan until completely melted.
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Compose dish:
Place the chicken chops in the sauce and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat. Taste the sauce, adjusting the seasoning with more salt and black pepper if needed. Surcharge!
Leftovers keep well as it has a moist sauce. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add a dollop of whipped cream if it feels dry.
I do not recommend freezing this dish as the texture of the sauce will become wobbly. Cream sauces tend to crack when frozen, thawed, and reheated.
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| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 516 | calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 17g | carbohydrates |
| 48g | protein |
