Creamy chicken Florentine is a one-pan dinner with golden, pan-fried chicken smothered in a delicious garlic and spinach cream sauce. The whole recipe takes 30 minutes and goes perfectly with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
I love easy weeknight chicken recipes like this one-pan marry me chicken pasta, quick Italian-inspired chicken saltimbocca, and crispy chicken Milanese, too.
Like my chicken Lazone and creamy spinach chicken, this chicken Florentine is a one-pan wonder that you’ll find on my stovetop on any given weeknight. It involves lightly coating the chicken in flour before pan-searing and turning the crispy leftover bits into a rich, savory cream sauce with spinach. All of this happens quickly. Set your kitchen timers for 30 minutes!
What I Love About This Chicken Florentine Recipe
- One pan. If you’ve followed me for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of one-pan dinners like my lemon parmesan chicken and one-pot spaghetti. Why dirty a bunch of dishes when meals like chicken Florentine come out even more delicious when you make them in one skillet?
- Made without wine. Many classic chicken Florentine recipes use white wine in the sauce, but I make my version with chicken stock, so it’s alcohol-free and kid-friendly. I have my glass of Pinot Grigio on the side instead! It’s easy enough to swap the stock for a dry white wine if you prefer.
- Quick to cook. Rather than cooking the chicken breasts whole in this Florentine recipe, I slice them in half to make thin, quick-cooking cutlets. It keeps the pan-frying step short, and I can have the whole thing on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Why Is It Called Florentine?
The French term “à la Florentine” applies to dishes featuring cooked spinach, a popular ingredient in the Italian city of Florence. You’ll find French recipes like quiche Florentine (a version of spinach quiche), eggs Florentine (similar to eggs Halifax), and Italian-inspired dishes, like stuffed shells Florentine, made with spinach filling.
Ingredients You’ll Need
In classic French cuisine, Florentine recipes usually include a protein (like chicken), cooked in a base of spinach and Mornay sauce, a variation of béchamel sauce with cheese added. The flour that coats the chicken in this recipe helps thicken the cream sauce, so don’t skip it!
I’ve included notes on the ingredients below. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full recipe details, and a photo step-by-step afterward showing how to make your chicken Florentine.
- Chicken – I make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which I slice in half to make cutlets. You could also use chicken thighs, or pound the chicken thin, like you would for chicken Paillard or chicken piccata. The cooking times may vary depending on the cut and thickness of the chicken.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works best here.
- Olive Oil – I pan-fry the chicken in a combination of olive oil and melted butter. Butter adds flavor, and a little olive oil raises the smoking point and prevents the butter from burning in the pan. You can use avocado oil or another cooking oil if you prefer.
- Garlic – Freshly minced. If you need to, substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder.
- Chicken Stock – I make my chicken Florentine with low-sodium chicken broth rather than white wine. If you’d prefer to make a white wine sauce, I recommend choosing a dry white, like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Another option is vegetable broth.
- Heavy Cream – You could also use half-and-half, cream cheese, or sour cream. I don’t recommend dairy with a lower fat content, like milk, as it’s more likely to split and curdle in the heat.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated.
- Italian Herbs – Choose your favorite Italian herb blend or Italian seasoning from the store, or a homemade blend. You can also substitute fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme. You’ll need about 3x the amount of fresh herbs as dried.
- Baby Spinach – You can use regular spinach, Swiss Chard, or kale, too, though the leaves won’t be quite as tender.
Tips and Variations
- Use unsalted butter. I recommend using unsalted butter when searing the chicken and making the sauce. This avoids an overly salty final dish.
- Add Dijon mustard. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to bring extra flavor to the cream sauce.
- Brighten the flavors. Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice or grate fresh lemon zest over the finished chicken Florentine for a nice hit of acidity.
- Give it a little kick. Sprinkle in some red chili flakes to give your chicken Florentine a spicy kick.
- More add-ins. I love making a version of this recipe with pan-fried mushrooms in addition to the spinach. You can use oyster mushrooms, brown mushrooms, or Baby Bellas. Just sauté them after the chicken and before adding the garlic and proceeding with the recipe as directed.
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Slice the chicken. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut each chicken in half, lengthwise, making four pieces in total.
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Coat the chicken. Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a wide, shallow dish. Coat the chicken with flour and set aside.
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Cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and hot, add the chicken pieces and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
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Make the sauce. Melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat in the same skillet. Add garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 20 seconds. Gradually add the chicken stock to the skillet, removing and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer for 5-6 minutes.
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Make it creamy. Add heavy cream, parmesan, and Italian herbs. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach and cook for 1 minute.
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Put it all together. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
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Serve. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the chicken to dinner plates and top it with the Florentine sauce before serving.
- More flavor. Add one teaspoon of Dijon mustard into the sauce for extra flavor.
- Seasonings. You can substitute the Italian herbs with your favorite herbs, fresh or dried.
- Add mushrooms. For extra nutrition, the chicken Florentine can be made with mushrooms.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter so the meal doesn’t turn out too salty.
Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 852mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2558IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Chicken Florentine
I recommend a nonstick pan or, even better, a cast-iron skillet. It’s the best way to get a perfect sear on the chicken in this recipe. Plus, you can use it to cook everything from steak to pork. Follow the steps here to make creamy homemade chicken Florentine on the stovetop:
- Prepare the chicken. Start by slicing the chicken in half lengthwise so you’re left with four cutlets. Then, season the pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. Afterward, dredge the chicken lightly in flour and set it aside.
- Cook. Next, you’ll sear the coated chicken in a hot skillet with oil and butter. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is browned on all sides, and then move the chicken to a plate.
- Sauté the garlic. In the same pan you used to cook the chicken, sauté garlic in melted butter for 30 seconds, just until it’s fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic, or it’ll taste bitter.
- Deglaze the pan. Now, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all those browned, flavorful bits.
- Make it creamy. Simmer the stock for 5-6 minutes, then stir in your heavy cream, parmesan, and Italian herbs.
- Put it all together. Bring the sauce to a boil, then add the spinach and let it wilt for a minute. Finally, add the chicken back to the skillet. Simmer the whole thing for 5 minutes while the sauce thickens, then serve warm with mashed potatoes or your favorite sides.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover chicken Florentine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Warm the chicken and sauce in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave until the chicken is hot throughout. If needed, you can add a splash of water, wine, or chicken broth to help loosen up the cream sauce when reheating.
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