Chicken Florentine combines thinly sliced seared chicken cutlets with a creamy, garlicky spinach sauce atop a bed of sauteed garlic spinach.  We love this dish because it’s simple and can be made in under an hour.  Oh, and it’s also incredibly tasty!

Chicken Florentine on bed of spinach in white platter.

 

We are big fans of easy chicken dishes and have a number of recipes here, such as chicken with cherry tomatoes and capers.

Chicken Florentine, or creamy chicken with spinach, is one of our newest favorites and we’re happy to share this one with you!

We held off making this one because often times when we’ve ordered Chicken Florentine in a restaurant, we’ve been underwhelmed. 

So we made sure the version we’re bringing to you is full of flavor, creamy texture, and all-around goodness.

This is great for weeknights since it can be made in under an hour and would be great alongside some rice, crispy roasted potatoes, or some garlic bread.

Ingredients shown: heavy cream, wine, chicken stock, parsley, spinach, butter, shallot, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, and chicken.

How to make Chicken Florentine

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

  1. Mince 5 cloves of garlic and, in a large pan over medium heat, saute the garlic in a 1/4 cup of olive oil.  
  2. Once the garlic turns lightly golden, add 16 ounces of fresh baby spinach and mix with tongs to allow the spinach to be coated with the garlic oil.  If the spinach is dry, add 2 ounces of water to help it steam.  Cover with a lid.  Note: Rinsing to clean the spinach in a colander before cooking will usually leave enough moisture for steaming.  

Chicken Florentine recipe process shot collage group number one.

  1. After about 2 minutes the spinach will wilt and you can remove the lid and turn off the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
  2. Mince 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large shallot, and 3 tablespoons worth of Italian flat leaf parsley.  Fillet and pound thin 3 chicken breasts.  Pat the chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.  Dredge the chicken in flour on all sides and shake to remove the excess.  Place the cutlets on parchment paper and set them aside.
  3. Heat a large skillet to about a 4/10 heat-wise or essentially between medium to medium-low heat.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of butter, and once hot, add the chicken pieces.  Note: work in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
  4. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side (or until cooked through), then place on a plate lightly tented with foil.  Continue to work in batches adding more oil and butter if required.  

Recipe process shot collage group number two.

  1. Once the chicken is done, turn the heat down to medium-low and add the shallots to the pan and saute for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften.  Then, add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. 
  2. Add 3/4 cups of dry white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock and turn the heat up to high.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge the brown bits.  Once the liquid reduces by half (about 3 minutes), turn the heat down to medium.  
  3. Add 1 1/4 cups of cream and the 4 ounces (about half a box) of thawed, drained, and chopped frozen spinach.  
  4. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes or until the Florentine sauce begins to thicken.  Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe process shot collage group number three.

  1. Return the chicken, its juices, and 3/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes or until the chicken is hot again.  Add the parsley, mix together, and then remove the pan from the heat.
  2. Drain the garlic spinach made in steps 1-3 of any accumulated water (there will be a lot of it!), then place on a platter.  Serve the chicken on top of the garlic spinach.  Enjoy!

Hands holding chicken Florentine in blue dish.

Top tips for creamy Chicken Florentine with spinach

  • The spinach.  As with most things “Florentine”, spinach plays a key role.  For this recipe, we used 2 types of spinach.  First is baby spinach with garlic and oil that serves as a nest upon which the chicken will be placed. The second spinach is the frozen spinach used to make the sauce.  If you prefer to use all fresh spinach to do this, you definitely can.  Note: It is very important to drain the sauteed spinach before laying the chicken Florentine on top of it.  Sauteed spinach will have a lot of accumulated water.
  • The chicken.  We used chicken breasts that we filleted and pounded to about a 1/2 inch thick.  A thinly pounded cutlet allows for more even cooking and we recommend doing this for the best results.  Alternatively, if you wish to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs you can but you’ll likely need to cook them longer (about 6 minutes per side).
  • The wine.  Dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio is used for Chicken Florentine.  If you prefer to not use alcohol you can do so by replacing the wine with additional low sodium chicken stock.

Chicken Florentine in platter on walnut cutting board.

More great chicken recipes

If you’re looking for more great chicken recipes similar to creamy Chicken Florentine, we think you’ll love these!

If you’ve enjoyed this Chicken Florentine recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and leave a review.

We strive to satisfy a number of learning styles.  If you are someone who prefers to learn by watching, you can find most of our recipes on YouTube and our Facebook Page.

Chicken Florentine

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Chicken Florentine combines thinly sliced seared chicken cutlets simmered in a spinach garlic cream sauce atop a bed of sauteed baby spinach.

Ingredients 

  • 3 large chicken breasts filleted and pounded flat
  • flour for dredging
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons butter divided
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large shallot minced
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
  • 4 ounces frozen spinach thawed, drained, and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the spinach

  • 16 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

For the spinach

  • Saute the garlic in a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
  • Once the garlic turns lightly golden add the spinach and mix with tongs to coat with the garlic oil. If the spinach is dry add 2 ounces of water to help steam. Cover with a tight lid.
  • After 1-2 minutes the spinach will have wilted. Remove the lid and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

For the Chicken Florentine

  • Pat the chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the chicken in flour on all sides and shake off the excess. Place the floured cutlets on parchment paper and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and once hot add the chicken pieces. Do not crowd the pan. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side (or until cooked through) then place on a plate lightly tented with foil. Work in batches, using more butter and oil if required, and set all chicken aside.
  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the shallots to the pan and saute for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Next, add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Add the wine and chicken stock and turn heat to high. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge all of the brown bits. Once the liquid reduces by half (about 3 minutes) turn the heat down to medium.
  • Add the cream and spinach and simmer for a few minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.
  • Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken, its collected juices, and the grated Parmigiano to the pan and simmer for about 2 minutes or until the chicken is hot again.
  • Add the parsley, mix together, then remove the pan from the heat. Drain the garlic spinach of any accumulated water then place on a platter. Serve the chicken on top of the garlic spinach. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted.  You will need to cook them longer (about 6 minutes per side) than thin-sliced cutlets.
  • Use either store-bought thin chicken cutlets or fillet and pound out chicken breasts to about a ½" thick.  A thinly pounded cutlet will allow for more even cooking and will only take a few minutes per side to cook.
  • Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on a stovetop over medium heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.6g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 37.6g | Saturated Fat: 18.3g | Cholesterol: 197mg | Sodium: 738mg | Potassium: 1017mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 0.8g | Calcium: 237mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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16 Comments

  1. Looks great! I love all things spinach. I noticed it called for fresh and frozen spinach. I think I’m misunderstanding the recipe bc I don’t see where you use the frozen spinach??

    I made the classic pot roast recipe yesterday. It was fabulous!! 😋

    1. Hi Kathy, see step 9 in the process shots. The spinach is added along with the cream to make the Florentine sauce. The fresh spinach gets sauteed with garlic and serves as the base upon which the chicken Florentine is placed. I hope that helps! So happy you enjoyed the pot roast!

  2. When reducing the recipe on the internet (from 6 ppl to 4 ppl) the amounts are not easy to follow. For instance what is .83 or .67. Why can’t you put 3/4 or 2/3 or whatever. Those of us that are old, can’t follow the other numbers. Your recipes are delicious, but when reducing the amount of people it is very challenging.

    1. Hi Barbara, the recipe we provide is for the number of servings indicated. I’m assuming you’re looking at an old printed version of this recipe as we no longer allow for reducing the recipe down (only doubling or tripling) because of issues like you mentioned. If you choose to increase the serving size of the recipe, the system automatically calculates it which is why it might seem confusing. Unfortunately, there is no simple way for me to provide every person with calculations for the exact number of servings they want. This holds true for every other recipe website.

  3. 5 stars
    Tried this at the weekend with your crispy Italian potatoes,absolutely delicious,will definitely be cooking this again !!

  4. You’ve got to work on recipes that I can pass up!😉I’m not exaggerating that I pin and print out all your recipes. This one is especially delicious looking.

    1. Hi there, thanks for the comment. I hope you love this one and thanks for following along with the other recipes as well!

  5. Great recipe! Has the video been removed? I cannot seem to find it on Youtube or using my laptop, oddly enough. I can find it only using my phone, but the sound does not work…

    1. Hi Chris, you’re probably seeing a 2-minute version that was up on Facebook. The full chicken Florentine video is only up on Patreon at this point.

  6. I wonder if frozen creamed spinach could be used as a short cut to making the spinach topping? I know it wouldn’t be as tasty, but could it work?

    1. Hi Julie, we go into this in detail in the Top Tips section titled “The spinach” if you want to give that a read, but what we’re doing is using garlic sauteed fresh spinach upon which is placed the chicken in the Florentine sauce which is made with the frozen spinach. The step-by-step process photos should clarify for you as well.