Chicken Florentine is a quick one skillet meal that's ready in about 30 minutes! The golden brown chicken breasts are coated in a flavorful garlic cream sauce with spinach, making this an easy dinner recipe that tastes fancy enough for company!
If you're looking for a new way to jazz up the same old boring chicken breasts and get out of your dinnertime rut, then this easy Chicken Florentine recipe is just the ticket! Best of all, you only need a handful of simple ingredients and about 30 minutes of your precious time. Family dinners just got a lot more exciting!
What's Chicken Florentine?
"Florentine style" in the culinary world refers to any recipe that is created in the style of the Italian region of Florence. In short, a Florentine-style recipe features spinach!
According to legend, the name originates with a French queen named Catherine de Médicis, who was born in Florence and, in 1533, married Henri, the second son of King Francois I. Catherine ultimately became the Queen of France, imported her own cooks from Florence, and even brought along spinach seeds to grow. Catherine's cooks served so many dishes with spinach, that this style became known as spinach à la Florentine, to denote the origin of the vegetable, and then eventually simply Florentine.
The modern version of Chicken Florentine includes golden pan-fried chicken breasts that are served with a creamy spinach sauce. It's both elegant and rich, so I think the Queen would approve!
How to make Chicken Florentine:
The two-step process involves first pan-frying the chicken in a skillet and then using the same skillet to prepare a quick spinach cream sauce. Let's get started!
Ingredients:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt, pepper and olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup
- Water
- Frozen chopped spinach
- Ground nutmeg
- Half-and-half or heavy cream
First, brown the chicken in a skillet on both sides. You'll know it's done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Then remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the Florentine sauce.
Next, sauté the onion in the same skillet until tender (about 3-5 minutes) and add the garlic for one more minute.
There's no need to clean out the skillet first -- you want to scrape up all of those flavorful bits from the chicken and get them incorporated into your sauce!
Stir in the Dijon mustard, soup and water. The soup is a secret ingredient to make this quick sauce thick and flavorful -- instantly!
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low.
Add the spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Make sure that you drain the spinach really well and squeeze it dry before adding it to your pan. You don't want it to water down the sauce.
Cook the sauce for about 3 more minutes (to allow the spinach to warm through), and then stir in half-and-half to make the sauce nice and creamy! Return the chicken to the skillet and you're ready to serve.
What to serve with Chicken Florentine:
There are plenty of easy options that go well with this dish. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Cooked pasta (toss the pasta with extra Florentine sauce, if desired)
- Crusty French baguette to dip in that dreamy sauce
- A simple green salad dressed in Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette (the perfect bright contrast to the creamy entrée)
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Rice or cauliflower rice
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I like to use a dish towel to squeeze all of the liquid from the thawed spinach before adding it to my skillet. This way the spinach will not water down your cream sauce.
- To make a Healthy Chicken Florentine, use fat-free half-and-half and the 98% fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- For a fun variation, try making Lemon Chicken Florentine by adding lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. As a result, a meat thermometer is the best way to know when your chicken is done. The meat is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- If you prefer dark meat, substitute with 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Thighs typically cook a bit faster than chicken breasts, so use your meat thermometer to know when they're done.
- Can you freeze Chicken Florentine? No, I do not recommend freezing this dish. The cream in the sauce will "break" when thawed, giving the sauce an unpleasant texture.
- Is Chicken Florentine Keto? If you use all of the sauce in the pan (which is probably far more than you'll actually consume), each serving includes about 13 grams of carbohydrates and would therefore not be a particularly Keto-friendly option. For a lower-carb dish, use less sauce and focus on the chicken.
More easy chicken recipes that you might enjoy:
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Florentine Pasta
- Chicken Florentine Casserole
- 5-Minute Honey French Baked Chicken Breasts
- “No Work” Baked Chicken
- Southern Baked Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Florentine
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup minced onion (about 1 small onion or ½ of a large onion)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup water
- 1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream (or more, as needed to thin sauce)
- Optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add chicken and cook for at least 5-6 minutes (or until nicely browned on the first side). Flip the chicken breast over and brown on the second side (about 6-10 more minutes). The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add onion to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until tender (about 3-5 minutes). Scrape up all of the browned chicken bits from the bottom of the pan so that the flavor incorporates into your sauce! Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one more minute.
- Stir in the Dijon, soup and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook for about 3 minutes (or until spinach is warmed through). Stir in half-and-half and simmer for 3-4 more minutes (do not boil). Add extra half-and-half, as needed, to thin sauce to reach desired consistency. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Return chicken to the skillet and spoon sauce over top. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- I like to use a dish towel to squeeze all of the liquid from the thawed spinach before adding it to my skillet. This way the spinach will not water down your cream sauce.
- To make a Healthy Chicken Florentine, use fat-free half-and-half and the 98% fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- For a fun variation, try making Lemon Chicken Florentine by adding lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. As a result, a meat thermometer is the best way to know when your chicken is done. The meat is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- If you prefer dark meat, substitute with 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Thighs typically cook a bit faster than chicken breasts, so use your meat thermometer to know when they're done.
- Can you freeze Chicken Florentine? No, I do not recommend freezing this dish. The cream in the sauce will "break" when thawed, giving the sauce an unpleasant texture.
- Is Chicken Florentine Keto? If you use all of the sauce in the pan (which is probably far more than you'll actually consume), each serving includes about 13 grams of carbohydrates and would therefore not be a particularly Keto-friendly option. For a lower-carb dish, use less sauce and focus on the chicken.
It looks good! Can you make this in a cast iron skillet?
Yes! The skillet that I used in the photos is cast iron. 🙂 My favorite!
Is it possible to do this with fresh spinach?
Hi, Margaret! Absolutely! You'll just need a lot of fresh spinach, since it cooks down so much. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe. I have my own food blog, but had not Florentine recipe. This is a winner. Question...why add water AND half and half? Why not just use 2percent milk or like?
Hey, Thomas! Glad that you enjoyed the recipe! I use the small amount of water kind of as a way to dilute the condensed soup, but I prefer the mouth-feel of the cream in the sauce. The milk might work too, this is just how I've always done it. 🙂