Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (2024)

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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 Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (1)

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.

Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (2)

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.

Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (3)

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 | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (4)

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!

  • Buttered Egg Noodles
  • Perfectly Smooth Mashed Potatoes
  • Spicy Mushroom Rice
  • Garlic Bread Pasta
  • Garlic Bread

Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (5)

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 | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (6)

Looking For More Chicken Recipes?

  • Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
  • Chicken Souvlaki
  • Hibachi Chicken
  • Simple Roast Chicken Recipe
  • Chicken Cacciatore

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    Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (7)

    Chicken Florentine

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Dan
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 6 Servings 1x

    Print Recipe

    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

    You Might Also Like:

    • Beer Can Chicken

    • Sesame Chicken Milanese

    • Mandarin Orange Chicken

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    Chicken Florentine | Date Night Dinner Recipe | Mantitlement (2024)

    FAQs

    What do you serve Florentine with? ›

    What to Serve with Chicken Florentine
    • Chicken Florentine Pasta: Serve it over your favorite pasta, like spaghetti or fusilli.
    • Grains: If you don't want pasta, try this easy chicken Florentine over quinoa, brown rice, or white rice.
    • More Veggies: Pair this meal with a side salad, roasted green beans, or cauliflower mash.
    Feb 13, 2024

    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.

    What is the origin of chicken Florentine? ›

    Chicken Florentine origin dates back to 1500's France when Catherine de Medici, a Florentine aristocrat, married a French prince. While this meant leaving Florence for France, Catherine didn't want her favorite recipes left behind. Consequently, her relocation included spinach seeds and the best Florentine chefs.

    What is a Florentine dinner? ›

    Florentine or à la Florentine is a term from classic French cuisine that refers to dishes that typically include a base of cooked spinach, a protein component and Mornay sauce.

    What are 2 typical Florentine appetizers? ›

    Tuscan appetizers usually include: sheep's milk pecorino cheese, cured meats like prosciutto toscano, fennel salami finocchiona, bruschetta toasts but the most Tuscan toast are crostini toscani that have a chopped liver pate slathered on.

    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 does Florentine mean in Italian cooking? ›

    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.

    Why is a Florentine called a Florentine? ›

    Based on the ingredients used to make them, Florentine cookies probably didn't originate in Florence, Italy, as you might think. Instead, it's more likely the cookies were created in France and named for the gold coins of Florence that were the standard currency of Europe for hundreds of years.

    Is Florentine Italian or French? ›

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

    What is the difference between Eggs Florentine and Benedict? ›

    Chief difference is not the sauce, but the base. Eggs Florentine uses cooked spinach. Some versions use a muffin, spinach, egg, and hollandaise.

    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.

    How is the Florentine steak cooked and served in Florence? ›

    The Bistecca alla Fiorentina is traditionally cooked on a wood grill, but some restaurants use charcoal. In Italy, steak is best enjoyed rare and the Bistecca alla Fiorentina is no exception. Well browned on the outside and bloody on the inside, the steak is cooked very quickly.

    What makes Florentine steak so good? ›

    Bistecca alla Fiorentina is different from most steaks because of the cut of meat used and how it's cooked. The cut. The dish has roots in Tuscany's Val di Chiana, where they use meat from young steers (no more than 2 years old) of the Chianina, a breed of grass-fed, white-haired cattle.

    What is Florence most popular dish? ›

    The Florentine steak is arguably Florence's most famous local dish, with very strict requirements to garner the prestigious label of bistecca alla Fiorentina.

    What is classic Florence food? ›

    Lampredotto is particularly a local speciality for Florence. It is the fourth and final stomach of a cow, slow-cooked with tomato, onion, parsley, and celery. Both tripe and lampredotto are traditionally served on a crunchy bun, often first soaked in the broth and with spicy or green sauce.

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