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Chicken Florentine

Chicken Florentine is a restaurant-style chicken with spinach cream sauce, featuring golden seared chicken breasts in a silky white wine and cream pan sauce. Tender wilted spinach and Parmesan make a pale, elegant sauce with herb-like flecks from the seasoning for a creamy Italian weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder to taste
  • 0.5 tsp Italian seasoning to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
White wine cream sauce
  • 4 garlic minced, cloves
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
Spinach
  • 3 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley for garnish
  • 1 lemon for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken breasts generously on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through to 165°F; remove and set aside.
Make the white wine and cream sauce
  1. Cook minced garlic in the same pan for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Pour in dry white wine, scraping up the browned bits, then simmer for 2 minutes.
  3. Add heavy cream and chicken broth, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy.
Finish with spinach and Parmesan
  1. Stir in grated Parmesan, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until the sauce turns smooth and pale.
  2. Add fresh baby spinach and stir until wilted, vivid green, and evenly distributed.
Serve
  1. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and spoon the sauce over each breast so it pools lightly around the chicken.
  2. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon and serve over pasta or rice.

Notes

Pro tip: simmer the cream sauce just until it lightly coats a spoon so it stays silky when you return the chicken. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet over low heat. Freezing is not recommended because the cream and spinach can separate after thawing. For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (sauce will be thinner, so simmer a minute longer to thicken).