Recipes Dinner Poultry Dishes Chicken Main Course Chicken Florentine 4.3 (4) 4 Reviews Mushrooms, spinach, and thin chicken breasts in a cream sauce is the ultimate comfort food. By Liz Mervosh Liz Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama. She creates and fine-tunes recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and EatingWell. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 28, 2024 Tested by Julia Levy Tested by Julia Levy Julia Levy is an eater, maker and dabbler in all things food. With nearly a decade of work experience, over 1,000 recipes tested, hundreds of recipes developed and just as many articles published, she has become a veritable resource for all your food questions. Her work has appeared in Cooking Light, MyRecipes, Southern Living, Real Simple, Fine Cooking and other publications and websites. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling Prep Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Chicken Florentine is one of those dishes that has been around for a long time, and for good reason. The creamy, garlicky sauce with mushrooms and spinach coats the chicken for a quick, easy, and satisfying dinner. There are faster versions of this dish, but we urge you to spend a little more time to develop the deeper flavor in this dish to make it restaurant-worthy. To start, pound chicken breasts into cutlets, then pan-fry them until they are golden brown. Cook mushrooms, shallots, and garlic until tender before adding white wine, sherry, chicken stock and cream to make the sauce. Plenty of fresh spinach pulls the dish together and gives the sauce an earthy, toothsome bite. Serve the Chicken Florentine with rice, mashed potatoes, or plenty of crusty bread for sopping up the delicious sauce. Frequently Asked Questions What does Florentine-style mean? Florentine-style, or à la Florentine, is a dish that includes a Mornay cheese sauce, cooked spinach, and a protein. The most common Florentine-style dish is Chicken Florentine but you can also make Florentine Steak, Eggs Florentine, or pork. Can you use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach? Yes, you can use frozen spinach in place of fresh, though be sure to thaw it before using, and squeeze as much water as possible from it so it doesn’t water-down the creamy sauce. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen You can buy chicken cutlets already pre-pounded but they often are not equal sizes and not of the best quality. For a better cooking and eating experience, we prep the chicken to an even thickness so the chicken cooks uniformly. Make ahead Store the Chicken Florentine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Bring it to room temperature before reheating in a skillet over low to serve. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 (10-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (3 cups) 1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup) 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1/2 cup chicken stock 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach (5 ounces) 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup) Directions Place each chicken breast on a cutting board. Place 1 palm on top of 1 breast to hold it still; using a chef’s knife with other hand, slice breast in half horizontally. Repeat process with second chicken breast. Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or small skillet, pound each half into an even thickness. Sprinkle both sides evenly with salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high. While butter mixture heats, place flour in a shallow dish; dredge 2 seasoned chicken halves in flour, and shake off excess. Add dredged chicken halves to hot butter-oil mixture; cook until browned on bottom, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Adjust heat as needed so oil vigorously, but not violently, bubbles around chicken.) Transfer cutlets to a large plate. Repeat cooking process with 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil and chicken halves. Wipe out skillet. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir to coat mushrooms in oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add shallot, garlic, and thyme; cook over medium, stirring often, until fragrant and shallot softens slightly, about 1 minute. Stir wine and sherry into skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-high, and simmer, undisturbed, until alcohol smell dissipates, about 2 minutes. Add stock; bring to a simmer over medium-high; simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add heavy cream to skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-high; simmer, stirring occasionally, until just slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add spinach in 2 batches, stirring after each addition until all leaves are wilted and incorporated into sauce. Nestle chicken in sauce, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in Parmesan until completely melted. Serve immediately. Rate It Print