This Chicken Florentine recipe is a quick skillet meal that combines pan fried chicken with a creamy béchamel sauce and wilted spinach. This has all the hallmarks of a fancy dinner, while actually being a quick weeknight meal.
Chicken Florentine gets its start in French cooking. The basis of this type of dish usually includes cooked spinach, a protein, and a Mornay sauce. A Mornay sauce is a type of béchamel, or cream sauce, that has the addition of melted cheese.
In this quick version of Chicken Florentine, we are taking all of those elements, but simplifying. We skip breading the chicken and take a lighter approach by just dredging the chicken in flour. The end result is a delicious creamy sauce over golden brown chicken and spinach. We serve ours over linguine and everyone in our family adores this meal.
I. AM. FLOORED! It was so incredibly delicious and easy!!! My husband and two teenagers loved it as well! My husband even said this was his new favorite and asked me to make it again soon. Thank you for making me look like a rock star in the kitchen!
How to Make Chicken Florentine Recipe
These step by step photos show you how simple this dinner recipe is. But for more detailed instructions and all the measurements, please see the full recipe at the bottom of this post.
Prepare the Chicken
Cut the chicken into cutlets, season them, and then dredge them in flour. For a step by step tutorial on how to cut the chicken see this post: How to Make Chicken Cutlets.
Pan Fry the Chicken
Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and then cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side. Remove it from the pan.
Make the Sauce
Without cleaning the pan, melt some butter. Then whisk in some flour. Slowly add in some white wine, scraping up the browned bits as you go. Slowly whisk in some chicken stock and then heavy cream. Let the sauce simmer for two minutes.
Finish the Dish
Finally, stir in some grated Parmesan, seasonings, and spinach. Then serve over linguine.
Tips and Tricks
- Make it gluten-free. If you are serving someone who is gluten free, you can skip dredging the chicken and simply pan fry the chicken.
- Skip cooking wine. Since cooking with wine enhances its flavor, you want something delicious. It can be an inexpensive bottle of dry white wine, but it shouldn’t be cooking wine.
- Slowly add the wine. We are making a roux in this recipe, which is fat surrounding flour so that it stays evenly distributed in the sauce. Add the wine slowly keeps the roux from breaking.
- Shred your own Parmesan. If you want this recipe to be top notch, go with Parmesan that is shredded from the block. It will melt better and bring better flavor.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Chicken Florentine should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. For best results, store the chicken and the sauce separately. Reheat the chicken in the oven or air fryer, and heat the sauce over low heat on the stovetop, adding a bit of cream or milk as needed.
What to Serve with Chicken Florentine
We love serving this over pasta, but if you want to round it out with some side dishes, here are some great easy ones.
If you make this Chicken Florentine recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Chicken Florentine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cutlets (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- dash freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white wine Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc (see note 2)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- dash freshly ground black pepper
- dash nutmeg
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (loosely packed)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half (as though you are butterflying it open) to make thin chicken cutlets. If there are thick spots on the chicken, pound thin so that the chicken is about 1/4 inch thick all the way through. Season the chicken on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then drudge it in the 1/4 cup flour.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, dash freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes on each side until browned. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Melt the butter in the skillet (no need to clean it first). Whisk in the 2 tablespoons all purpose flour until it is fully combined with the butter and there are no streaks of white left. Cook for about 30 seconds until it is fragrant.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Turn the heat to medium low. Slowly whisk in the white wine, scrapping up the brown bits as you go. Then slowly whisk in the chicken stock and then the heavy cream. Go slowly at first with both, only adding a few splashes and whisking it in to the butter and flour mixture before you add more. While you do need to go slowly, this process should only take about a minute.1/2 cup white wine, 3/4 cup chicken stock, 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Bring the mixture to a simmer – you should see consistent bubbles about the size of a pea – and let simmer, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cheese, stirring for it to melt. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Taste the sauce and add more seasonings as needed.1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, dash freshly ground black pepper, dash nutmeg
- Stir in the spinach, allow it to wilt while the sauce simmers, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan, spooning the sauce over it. Serve over pasta and enjoy.2 cups fresh baby spinach
Recipe Video
Notes
- Start by butterflying the chicken open and continue cutting until there are two thin pieces of chicken. See this in action in the video above.
- I do not recommend using cooking wine. If your family doesn’t cook with wine, replace the wine called for in this recipe with 1/2 cup of additional chicken stock and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Please note that the nutritional information does not include serving over pasta.
Dawn says
Hi Lisa, I really want to try this recipe. Will it change if I leave out the wine or should I substitute it with another liquid?
Thank you,
Dawn
Hi Dawn! I actually have an answer to this under the FAQ in this post. You want to substitute with 1/2 cup of additional chicken stock and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Winnie says
Thank you for the delicious recepie.
You are very welcome!
Sarah Wargo says
I knew when you posted this recipe yesterday I had to make it! I went out last night and purchased the ingredients I did not have on hand and I made it tonight for dinner. I. AM. FLOORED! It was so incredibly delicious and easy!!! My husband and two teenagers loved it as well! My husband even said this was his new favorite and asked me to make it again soon. Thank you for making me look like a rock star in the kitchen!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! I am so happy that your family enjoyed it so much!
Constance says
I love reading your recipes and get a lot of hinds that improve my cooking in other ageas.
I’m so glad to hear that Constance!
Ann says
We were wondering what to make for dinner tonight..and this recipe popped up in my email! Winner winner chicken florentine dinner! I just bought some fresh spinach and hubs asked me what he’s supposed to do with it…so I emailed this recipe to him before I went to work. Fabulous! 10 stars! Really winner winner…!
Ann says
Winner winner chicken florentine dinner! We were stumped as to what to make for valentines dinner…and then this email hit my in box. Printed it off before I ran to work and left hubby to cook it for us. Dang it was delicious, and I had everything he needed to cook it. 10 stars if I could give it! Great recipe Lisa!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
I have already left a stellar review for this recipe, I just wanted to hop back on and say it’s still a go-to winner in my kitchen – everyone LOVES it! I have made it so many times now I’ve lost count. I love how fancy it looks and tastes yet it’s still… incredibly easy! It’s my husband’s favorite dish by far that I’ve made for him. THANK YOU!
Sarah, I’m so grateful you came back to leave another comment! It means so much to other readers to have someone other than me telling them how much they love a recipe. So, no, thank YOU!
Donna says
What could I substitute the heavy cream for?
You could use half and half or whole milk, just keep in mind that it won’t be as creamy.