Easy Chicken Florentine (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

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This creamy, Easy Chicken Florentine is so delicious, so quick, and so easy! Sautéed chicken breasts in a garlicky, parmesan cream sauce studded with baby spinach and mushrooms. Can be made with or without cream. A restaurant quality dish, on the table in under 30 minutes. This is one quick weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

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The Best Chicken Florentine – Why you’ll LOVE this Easy Chicken Florentine recipe

  • Perfectly seared chicken breasts that are tender and juicy
  • Creamy Florentine sauce – spinach and mushrooms in a garlicky Alfredo sauce
  • Super quick and easy – ready in under 30 minutes
  • Simple, yet elegant dish
  • Keto Chicken Florentine – a delicious low carb dish
  • Can be made with or without cream
  • Perfect with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes
Easy Chicken Florentine (2)

What is Chicken Florentine?

To serve something “Florentine style” (from Florence, Italy) usually indicates that a dish contains spinach. The term is said to have originated from Catherine de’ Medici, who was born in Florence and became the Queen of France. She brought her own cooks and spinach seeds from Florence. The resulting dishes became known as à la Florentine.

In this Chicken Alfredo Florentine – baby spinach and sautéed mushrooms are added to a creamy Alfredo sauce made with butter, cream, and parmesan,

Ingredients – What’s in Chicken Florentine?

  • Chicken breasts – You could also use boneless or bone in thighs
  • Baby spinach
  • Mushrooms – they pair well with the spinach, but can be left out
  • Alfredo sauce – butter, cream, chicken broth, and parmesan. Or omit the cream and use a roux of flour with milk.
  • Aromatics – finely diced onion and garlic
  • Seasonings – salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
  • Flour – optional for dusting the chicken before sautéing for a crispier coating. The chicken is just as delicious without it, and I actually prefer the chicken without it when it’s reheated.
Easy Chicken Florentine (3)

How to make Chicken Florentine (with cream)

Sear the chicken:

Flatten the chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet to an even thickness. (Slice them in half lengthwise first if they are thick.) Optional: dust them in flour for a crispier texture.

Easy Chicken Florentine (4)

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken. Without disturbing the chicken breasts, allow to cook to a golden brown on the bottom. (A splatter guard minimizes the mess.) Flip the chicken and cook until done throughout.

Easy Chicken Florentine (5)

To make the Chicken Florentine Sauce:

Remove the chicken from the pan. Add butter and sauté the onion for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté until soft and any released liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add the broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until it has reduced slightly. Stir in the parmesan until melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. Return the chicken to the pan and serve.

Easy Chicken Florentine (6)

How to make Chicken Florentine without cream

For a healthy, lower fat version, Chicken Florentine can be made without cream by making a roux with flour and using milk.

After sautéing the onion, mushroom, and garlic, stir in 2 tablespoons flour. Whisk in 1 cup of milk and ½ cup chicken broth. Simmer until thickened, then proceed with the recipe.

Tips for success

  • If your chicken breasts are thick, slice them in half lengthwise for quicker cooking.
  • Flatten the chicken breasts with a mallet for even cooking.
  • Dusting the chicken with flour gives a crispier coating, but it’s optional and can be omitted. If I make it in advance, I prefer it without the flour as it can become soggy.
  • Brown the chicken in a hot pan and don’t flip it until the bottom is golden brown. You can peek underneath to check it, but don’t move it around too much and disturb the browning process. The chicken will release from the pan when it is done searing. Flipping it too soon can cause the crispy coating to tear off.
  • Adding the spinach at the very end keeps it bright green. It will soften from the residual heat in the pan.
Easy Chicken Florentine (7)

Variations:

Chicken Bacon Florentine - try stirring in crispy, crumbled bacon to the sauce with the spinach.

Lemon Chicken Florentine – Omit the mushrooms and whisk in the juice of 1 lemon, or to taste, to the cream sauce before adding the spinach.

Chicken Mushroom Florentine FAQs

How to store Chicken Florentine?

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

What to serve with Chicken Florentine?

Florentine Chicken can be served with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.

For a low carb meal, serve it with mashed cauliflower, cauliflower rice, or a simple green salad. Keto Chicken Florentine is one of my favorite keto chicken recipes!

Easy Chicken Florentine (8)

More easy chicken recipes for you to love:

  • Creamy Tuscan Chicken
  • Lemon Caper Chicken
  • Creamy Artichoke Chicken
  • Honey Sriracha Chicken Breasts
  • Easy Baked Cajun Chicken Breasts
  • Hunan Chicken
  • Honey Sriracha Chicken
  • Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Easy Chicken Florentine (9)

Easy Chicken Florentine

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This creamy, Easy Chicken Florentine is so delicious, so quick, and so easy! Sautéed chicken breasts in a garlicky, parmesan cream sauce studded with baby spinach and mushrooms. Can be made with or without cream.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 1 pound chicken breasts (454g)
  • Flour for dredging, optional
  • Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • ½ small onion, finely diced
  • 6oz sliced mushrooms (170g)
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or oregano)
  • ¾ cup chicken broth (6oz, 170g)
  • ¾ cup cream or half and half (6oz, 170g)
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese (1.5oz, 43g)
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves, loosely packed (1.5oz, 43g)

Instructions

  1. For quicker, more even cooking, slightly flatten breasts with a kitchen mallet. If they are very thick, slice them in half horizontally before flattening. Season with salt and pepper. Dust with the optional flour if using.
  2. Heat a skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
  3. When oil is hot, put chicken breasts in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.
  4. Add remaining tablespoon butter to pan. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté until soft and any released liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
  5. Add the broth, cream, and Italian seasoning and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until it has reduced slightly.
  6. Stir in the parmesan until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. Return the chicken to the pan and serve.

Notes

How to make Chicken Florentine without cream

  • For a lower fat version, Chicken Florentine can be made without cream by making a roux with flour and using milk.
  • After sautéing the onion, mushroom, and garlic, stir in 2 tablespoons flour. Whisk in 1 cup of milk and ½ cup chicken broth. Simmer until thickened, then proceed with the recipe.

If your chicken breasts are thick, slice them in half lengthwise for quicker cooking. Flatten the chicken breasts with a mallet for even cooking.

Dusting the chicken with flour gives a crispier coating, but it’s optional and can be omitted. If I make it in advance, I prefer it without the flour as it can become soggy.

Brown the chicken in a hot pan and don’t flip it until the bottom is golden brown. You can peek underneath to check it, but don’t move it around too much and disturb the browning process. The chicken will release from the pan when it is done searing. Flipping it too soon can cause the crispy coating to tear off.

Adding the spinach at the very end keeps it bright green. It will soften from the residual heat in the pan.

The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products we know and love.

  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: saute
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 357
  • Sugar: 2.2 g
  • Sodium: 412.1 mg
  • Fat: 23.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.6 g
  • Protein: 32.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 131.6 mg

Nutrition details for Chicken Florentine without cream:

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Easy Chicken Florentine (2024)

FAQs

What is Florentine sauce made of? ›

Florentine sauce is very simple to make. It is typically made with heavy cream, white wine, butter, garlic, Parmesan and fresh spinach.

Why is it called chicken Florentine? ›

Culinary lore attributes the term to 1533, when Catherine de Medici of Florence married Henry II of France. She supposedly brought a staff of chefs, lots of kitchen equipment and a love of spinach to Paris, and popularized Florentine-style dishes.

What makes a dish Florentine? ›

A Florentine dish typically consists of a protein, spinach, and a Mornay sauce (a béchamel sauce with cheese). The dish allegedly dates back to the 1500s and it's often attributed to French Queen Catherine de Medici, who was apparently partial to foods that reminded her of her native Florence.

What is the secret to tender chicken breast? ›

Brines and marinades help tenderize the meat by bringing more moisture in the protein. With that extra moisture, you lose less when you cook. The simplest way to do this is with a dry brine — unwrap the chicken breasts, salt them on both sides and let them sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

What is the most famous Florentine dish? ›

1.Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Local Chianina cows are the pride of the Tuscan region, and their rich flavor shines best in this steak dish, a massive ribeye grilled to a crusty dark exterior and rare interior, then sliced tableside.

Why are Florentines so expensive? ›

The ingredients of the Florentine are rare, more expensive and much more sought after than those of an almond biscuit. Thus, the nougatine costs up to 30% more expensive than a cookie dough made from flour. Honey, a precious ingredient, and fresh cream, delicate and fragile, complete the recipe.

What is chicken florentine made of? ›

Chicken Florentine combines that creamy, garlicky sauce with juicy chicken thighs that get coated in flour and seared in butter. Sun-dried tomatoes and grated parmesan finish it off. How do you thicken a cream sauce? The easiest way to thicken a cream sauce is to add a little flour.

What is Italian Florentine made of? ›

Florentine cookies, also called Florentine biscuits, Florentine lace cookies, and just simply Florentines, are a confection made of sugar, butter, cream, and nuts. They also occasionally contain dried fruit. And frequently, they are either drizzled with chocolate or sandwiched together with chocolate.

Is Florentine French or Italian? ›

Florentine most commonly refers to: a person or thing from: Florence, a city in Italy. Republic of Florence or the Florentine Republic.

How do you eat Florentine? ›

The Only Way to Eat a Florentine Steak: Rare

After cooking, the meat should rest for around 10 minutes, so the juices redistribute, before being cut into slices using a smooth blade knife and served. Florentines never, ever eat a bistecca well-cooked. And when in Florence you do as the Florentines do, right?

What is Mornay sauce made of? ›

A Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, white cheddar or even Parmesan cheese. A Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make macaroni and cheese.

What is Florentine in Italian food? ›

In the culinary arts, the word Florentine (pronounced "FLOR-en-teen"), or the term à la Florentine, refers to a recipe that is prepared in the style of the Italian region of Florence. The easiest way to remember what it means is that a Florentine-style recipe features spinach.

How do Chinese make chicken so tender? ›

Chinese stir-fried chicken is extra tender due to the velveting technique. Chicken is sliced into thin, even-sized pieces and then marinated briefly in a mix of baking soda, cornstarch, wine, and seasoning. This seals in moisture and tenderizes the chicken.

What is the secret to moist chicken? ›

There are three key tricks: tenderize, marinate, and controlled cooking time. When you use all three of these methods, you will have succulent, moist chicken every time, and you can apply these strategies to other cuts of meat as well.

What is velveting chicken? ›

Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique that takes your thin pieces of raw meat and coats them in a cornstarch marinade. The meat is then lightly cooked on the outside before cooking it all the way through. In order to do this, simply cut your meat into small pieces or strips.

What is Florentine flavour? ›

Our artisan florentines are made with honey, butter caramel and roasted almonds for a rich, nutty flavour. Although their name suggests they originate from Florence, an Italian province, legend has it that they are actually of French origin, made in the Palace of Versailles for King Louis XIV.

What is the meaning of Florentine sauce? ›

The practice of calling dishes "florentine" may have originated with an Italian noblewoman who brought her cuisine to France when she became queen of the country. Dishes labeled florentine carry the spirit of food from Florence, defined by the use of spinach and a creamy sauce, usually Mornay, or French cheese sauce.

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