Try this Perfect Chicken Florentine recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup whipping cream
- all-purpose flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons onion finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach thawed, drained
- Carbohydrate 5.1416466025642 g
- Cholesterol 629.720000069488 mg
- Fat 33.9456190187583 g
- Fiber 0.295383002812219 g
- Protein 219.484189000999 g
- Saturated Fat 16.9436155916785 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1112g)
- Sodium 2968.81796002266 mg
- Sugar 4.84626359975198 g
- Trans Fat 4.27188172096539 g
- Calories 1323 calories
Step-by-step
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly then shake off any excess flour.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Once melted, add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side.
- Carefully move the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. (Do not clean the skillet) Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 1 minute. Be sure to use a wooden spoon or spatula where you can be stirring and scraping the lovely brown bits that form.
- Remove pan from stove and carefully pour in the wine.
- Return pan to stove and increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the parsley.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper. (Be sure to try it as you go to determine the correct amounts!)
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce. (If you want you can turn the chicken to coat it in the sauce or you can pour it over when serving as I did.) Turn heat to low/warming.
- Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through.
- Season the spinach with salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.
Restricted to a single large skillet and a secondary pan for greens, this preparation requires efficient management of fond. Dredging poultry lightly in all-purpose flour creates a barrier that protects the meat while generating the necessary browned residues on the pan floor. Without relying on an instant-read thermometer, doneness is judged by firmness and opacity. When the center of the breast offers firm resistance under gentle pressure and the juices run clear, the meat is properly cooked. Sautéing the aromatics directly in the residual butter and pan drippings builds a foundational layer of savory depth before the liquid is introduced. Deglazing with dry white wine requires boiling rapidly over medium-high heat until the volume decreases by half. Heavy whipping cream follows, reducing again by half to achieve a coating consistency that clings to the back of a spoon. Thawed frozen spinach contains high levels of moisture, making thorough manual draining essential before the leaves hit the secondary skillet with unsalted butter. Leftover portions store safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the cream sauce may split slightly upon reheating and requires gentle low-heat stirring to reemulsify.
