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    Chicken Florentine

    April 23, 2024

    Skillet browned chicken with cooked spinach in a rich white wine cream sauce feels indulgent and fresh all in one meal.

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    chicken florentine with cooked spinach in a rich white wine cream sauce in a skillet
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Chicken Florentine For A Fresh Weeknight Dinner

    Our best chicken florentine recipe combines a cream and white wine sauce with perfectly browned chicken breasts and fresh baby spinach. It feels indulgent and fresh all on one plate. You’ll want to make this when you’re looking for a shortcut to getting chicken and veggies in one meal (our Creamy Chicken Skillet does that, too!). We especially like to have a loaf of Garlic Bread (or Sourdough Bread if there’s more time), Garlic Broccolini, Kale Salad, or The Best Tomato Salad to serve alongside.

    chicken florentine with cooked spinach in a rich white wine cream sauce in a skillet
    Chicken Florentine with cooked spinach in a white wine cream sauce topped with parmesan on a plate served with crusty bread

    What Is Chicken Florentine

    Put on your chef hat for this classic French culinary term (“à la Florentine”). This term refers to a dish that contains a protein cooked with spinach and Mornay sauce. Mornay sauce is cream and cheese based, and the most famous one is used to make everyone’s favorite–Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

    chicken, flour, spices, butter, olive oil, stock, white wine parmesan, spinach, and noodles in prep bowls

    Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Homemade Chicken Florentine

    • Boneless, skinless chicken cutlets get browned in a hot pan. If you can’t find prepared cutlets at the grocery, simply cut a large chicken breast in half (with a sharp knife) making two thin chicken breasts of the same size.

    • White wine – An herbal and acidic Sauvignon Blanc or any equally light and crisp white wine will work best here. A favorite choice for cooking recipes like Pistachio Crusted Pork Tenderloin with White Wine Dijon Sauce.

    • Heavy cream – We recommend going for the real deal here, because anything less will not deliver the luxurious cream sauce this dish deserves.

    • Fresh spinach – You can absolutely sub frozen spinach! Simply thaw a 10 ounce package of frozen spinach and drain completely and check out our easy Creamed Spinach while you’re at it!

    4 chicken cutlets patted dry then seasoned with salt, being dredged in flour on a baking sheet
    4 chicken cutlets that have been dredged in flour being cooked in a skillet
    butter, garlic, white wine, heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt in a skillet
    butter, garlic, white wine, heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt in a skillet

    How to Make Chicken Florentine

    • Prepare the chicken. Pat dry, season with salt and dunk into flour to coat (this should be a light amount of flour that evenly covers the surface of the chicken).

    • Cook the chicken. Brown the chicken in a large skillet.

    • Make the cream sauce. Start by cooking garlic and wine, and then adding the heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, and seasonings.

    • Stir in the spinach and Parmesan cheese, then return the chicken to the skillet and turn to coat in the creamy cheesy sauce.

    • Serve! Top with more grated parm (of course!) and serve with cooked pasta and Garlic Bread.

    butter, garlic, white wine, heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, spices, parmesan and spinach cooking in a skillet
    Chicken Florentine with cooked spinach in a rich white wine cream sauce topped with parmesan in a skillet

    How to Store + Tips

    • You can make this recipe gluten free by subbing in your favorite gluten free all purpose flour!

    • Can you make this dairy free? There is a lot of dairy in the recipe, but if you’re still looking for a wonderful dish and you don't mind a hint of coconut, sub the butter for more olive oil and the heavy cream for coconut cream.

    • Want to explore more Florentine recipes? Give our Eggs Benedict the Florentine treatment with fresh spinach!

    • Cream sauces are generally difficult to freeze because cream-based items break (that is to say they look curdled, even if they still taste good and are safe to eat) when frozen. Best to store in an airtight container in the fridge and make sure to eat within a few days of cooking.

    Chicken Florentine with cooked spinach in a white wine cream sauce topped with parmesan on a plate served with crusty bread

    More Great Chicken Dinner Recipes From The Modern Proper

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    Chicken Florentine

    Updated on April 23, 2024

    • Serves: 4
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  25 min
    • Calories: 665
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    Ingredients

    • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1½ pounds)
    • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • ¾ cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • ½ cup chicken stock
    • 1 teaspoon chicken flavor “Better Than Bouillon” (or 1 chicken bouillon cube)
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 3 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
    • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
    • Cooked pasta, for serving (optional)
    • Crust bread, for serving (optional)

    Method

    1. Add the flour to a shallow bowl. Pat the chicken dry and season all over with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Dip each chicken cutlet into the flour, turning to coat. Gently shake off any excess flour.

    2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

    3. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the wine then increase the heat to medium high. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the heavy cream, chicken stock, bouillon, Italian seasoning, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt until combined.

    4. Stir in the spinach and Parmesan cheese, then return the chicken to the skillet and turn to coat. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 3-5 minutes.

    5. Divide chicken and sauce between plates. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve over cooked pasta, with bread on the side, if using.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories665
    • Protein41 g
    • Carbohydrates17 g
    • Total Fat42 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol209 mg
    • sodium1228 mg
    • Total Sugars1 g

    Chicken Florentine

    Questions & Reviews

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    • Monica

      I love a lot of the MP recipes, but this is amazing. So creamy, so good. Comforting, easy to do. I added a squeeze of lemon juice, as I served it over pasta that had a lemon flavor. Amazing.

      Thanks Monica, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Bianca

      I've made quite a few recipes from you guys, and this one has to be my favorite! The sauce is so creamy and delicious. I paired it with fettuccine pasta and it was just perfect. Tasty and so simple to make.

      Thanks Bianca, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Allie

      Delicious! We had left over rotisserie chicken so I warmed that in the pan instead of cooking chicken breasts. Added a little bit of flour (about 3 tbs) into the sauce to help thicken and then served with pasta. So good and a great way to use up some ingredients.

      Thanks Allie, glad you enjoyed!

    • Katie

      This was one of the best things I have made in awhile. The sauce is fantastic. I don't usually change recipes if I am leaving a review, but this meal was so great that I didn't want to forget to leave a review. I had diced tomatoes and chopped mushrooms that were going to go bad, so I sauteed them and added with the spinach. Honestly the sauce for the win, though. I could eat it on a lot of things!

      Thanks Katie, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Kay

      This felt like a very elevated meal so it was very exciting to pull it off at home. The sauce is absolutely delicious.

      Thank you Kay, we are so glad you loved it!