An Even Better Chicken Florentine
Over three years ago, I made Chicken Florentine for the first time, and ever since then, it’s been the most frequently viewed recipe on this site. By a landslide. The people, they love Chicken Florentine. But I’ve never been entirely happy with that recipe. And let’s not even talk about the photographs in the post; they make me cringe. In the years since, I’ve made Chicken Florentine a handful of times again, and I’ve tweaked the recipe here and there each time. I just knew it could be even better, and I was right. My friends, I think I finally have my best Chicken Florentine recipe, and I knew I had to share it with all of you.
The original recipe uses more pans than I think is really necessary. It uses more butter than I think is really necessary. It asks you to cook chicken breasts whole, which introduces the opportunity for undercooked chicken and lengthens the cooking time, again, unnecessarily. I prefer this recipe with fresh spinach, so I made adjustments for that. And frankly, I prefer to drink my wine than cook with it, so I adjusted the amount of wine in the sauce, which luckily, also provides for more balanced flavor. Yes, this Chicken Florentine is even better. And I think the photos are nicer, too.
I still love this recipe because it is simultaneously virtuous (spinach!) and decadent (heavy cream!). Although it’s probably only virtuous in my own head. It’s not difficult, but it still feels special, which means it’s terrific for when you want an at-home dinner that feels a little more fancy pants than your average Monday meal. And it’s an AWESOME thing to cook when you want to impress someone.
The one thing that can make this recipe feel more difficult is not doing your prep thoroughly. This is one recipe that benefits immensely from getting your mise en place set up a bit. Once it’s going, it’s going fairly quickly, so don’t stress yourself out by trying to chop garlic and brown chicken at the same time. Take your time before you light any fires, and everything will move along smoothly.
I like this chicken served over pasta, and I think long noodles work better than short for this dish. But I suspect it would be equally good served over polenta, or perhaps tucked into a crepe or a calzone. Once you’ve got the sauce down, you can experiment any old way you want. Over the years, I’ve read comments from lots of people who’ve constructed their own variations on this recipe. That’s the way it’s meant to be: Make it your own, and I’m sure you and your peeps will fall in love with it as much as I have.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- a great big bundle of fresh spinach, about 5-6 cups raw (or 1 10-ounce package of frozen spinach)
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large shallot
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- about 1/4 cup parsley
- salt to taste
- about 1/2 package of spaghetti or fettuccine
Rinse the spinach well, and trim the stems. Chop the spinach roughly into smaller pieces. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Mince the shallot and the garlic, and chop the parsley. Let the cream come to room temperature.
Set a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta while you prepare the rest of the meal, and if it's done a little too soon, toss it with some olive oil so it doesn't get sticky.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the spinach in large handfuls, letting the spinach cook and wilt down a bit before adding more. Cook, stirring often (tongs work best for this), until the spinach is almost entirely wilted. Stir in the nutmeg and a pinch of salt, then remove the spinach to a plate, and return the skillet to the stove.
Put the flour in a shallow bowl, and stir in a large pinch of salt. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour until they are well coated. Shake off any excess. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, and let it get hot. Once it's hot, add the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken in batches so you don't crowd the pan. Let each piece cook for about three minutes on the first side, then flip and cook another two or three minutes, until the chicken pieces are just golden all over.
Remove the chicken to the same plate with the spinach, and continue with the rest of the chicken, until it's all cooked. Feel free to drizzle a little more olive oil into the pan if it starts to look dry, but don't over do it. You want a nice fond to build up in the pan. Once all the chicken is cooked, add the final tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute for about a minute, stirring frequently. Once it's fragrant, but before the garlic burns, deglaze the pan with the white wine.
Let the wine cook at a high simmer, whisking often and scraping up the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about five minutes, or until the wine is reduced by half. Then whisk in the heavy cream. Bring to a low boil, and let the cream cook for another five minutes or so, until it's thick. Season to taste with salt, and perhaps some pepper if you like it. Stir in the parsley, then stir in the reserved chicken and spinach. Cook for another minute or two, then serve over the pasta.
http://www.kitchenilliterate.com/2011/11/08/an-even-better-chicken-florentine/If you’ve tried the older Chicken Florentine recipe here, check out this new one; I think the changes make it easier to cook, not to mention tastier. If you have a favorite variation on this classic dish, share your comments below! And if this recipe brought you here to The Kitchen Illiterate for the first time, here are a few other favorite recipes that you might enjoy:
- A really simple pasta sauce for store bought ravioli
- Johnny Marzetti: A Casserole with a Past
- Another classic pasta dish, Chicken Provencal
- Can you tell I like cream sauce? Here’s a great Mushroom, Chicken, and Spring Pea Penne
- And because everyone needs dessert, Mayan Chocolate Brownies
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