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This creamy Chicken Florentine recipe has tender pan-fried chicken coated in an amazing garlic spinach white wine cream sauce! It’s ready in only 30 minutes.
For another restaurant-quality recipe at home, try my Marry Me Chicken or Shrimp Scampi next.
Why you’ll love it
So what is Chicken Florentine? The “Florentine” style in cooking generally indicates that the dish has spinach in it. It’s reminiscent of how certain recipes are prepared in Florence, Italy. This will be your new favorite 30-minute meal!
This creamy spinach chicken recipe is great for a fancy-ish weeknight dinner or date night, but it doesn’t require any complicated cooking techniques. And you can enjoy the rest of the white wine while it cooks. 😉
What you’ll need
- Chicken – I cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so they cook faster and more evenly, leaving the chicken nice and tender and juicy
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, it infuses flavor right into the cutlets
- Flour – for dredging to get a nice crust on the chicken
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying
- Garlic – use even more if you love garlic
- Dry white wine – I don’t use a particular brand, but I tend to stick to pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc when a recipe calls for dry white wine. Don’t use cooking wine.
- Chicken broth – the savory base of the sauce
- Italian seasoning – this blend of fragrant dried herbs comes all in one jar
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce silky and rich
- Spinach – that classic pop of freshness
- Parmesan – always grate your own for best taste and flavor
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like using a splatter guard when frying the chicken so clean-up is hassle-free.
- Grate your own parmesan easily using a Microplane zester.
- I recommend this Le Creuset skillet for this recipe.
How to make Chicken Florentine
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken into four thinner cutlets. Season with salt & pepper and garlic powder, then dredge in the flour. Heat up the oil and half the butter, and pan fry the chicken until golden. Transfer to a plate. To the skillet, add the rest of the butter, and cook the garlic.
Add the wine, broth, and Italian seasoning. Cook until noticeably reduced. Pour in the cream, let it bubble for a couple of minutes, then add the spinach. Return the chicken, and simmer until it’s cooked through. Sprinkle on the parm, and enjoy.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t have white wine, use the equivalent amount of chicken broth and add about 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. That’s my little cooking trick for when I’m out of wine!
- You can sub the Italian seasoning for Herbs de Provence if you prefer.
- You could add mushrooms to this recipe if you want. It’ll be delicious.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream with anything else (e.g. half-and-half or milk). I haven’t tested it, and the sauce will end up thinner and possibly curdle.
What to serve with Chicken Florentine
- Try pasta, these Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or my Roasted Red Potatoes, or rice.
- Steamed vegetables are another great option, or serve with Brussels Sprouts Gratin or Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- For a salad pairing, this Parmesan Arugula Salad is simple yet elegant.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the spinach will wilt more over time.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat until warmed through.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
More delicious chicken recipes
If you made this Chicken Florentine recipe, leave a review below! Don’t forget to tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Creamy Chicken Florentine
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Season each side of the chicken with the garlic powder and salt & pepper. Coat the chicken in flour on all sides.
- Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes/side until golden. Take the pan off the heat and remove the chicken to a plate.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the rest of the butter and the minced garlic. Let it cook for about 30 seconds or so.
- Add the wine, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes or until it's noticeably reduced.
- Add in the cream and let it bubble for 2 minutes, then stir in the spinach.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook, over medium heat, for another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens up a bit. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top of the chicken and sauce prior to serving, and season it with extra salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- If you prefer the spinach to be a bit less wilted/cooked, add it to the skillet during the last couple minutes of cooking.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made exactly as directed but added some chopped cooked bacon in at the same time I added the spinach.
Delicious meal I made because I bought too much fresh spinach. This was a happy accident that will now go on rotation.
Love the bacon idea!!! So happy you enjoyed it, Fran! Thanks for your review.
The recipe is fantastic! Very creamy, flavorful, and the chicken is so moist and tender. Everybody loved this recipe.
Definitely a keeper!
Wonderful!! Thanks for your review, Sal!
Delish! I made this gf, used half/half along with cream, and added sliced mushrooms and marinated sun-dried tomatoes. We used the leftovers in a quiche that totally rocked. Thank you.
You’re very welcome!
Such an amazing recipe. My family gave this two thumbs up and we add in into our dinner rotations quite often. Thanks a bunch!!! ^.^
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Not for nothing but this will be my first time making this, and there’s not a single mention of how to make the leafy spinach. Do I make it separately? Sautee it in olive oil and garlic, etc?
Hi Dan! It’s in step 5. There’s also a note in the “Notes” section for how to treat it if you want it less wilted. 🙂 Hoping you enjoy the recipe!
Easy to follow recipe that made this dad look good. Our family loved it, and my teenage daughter wanted 2nds on the chicken which never happens. Thank you!
Awesome!! 😀 You’re very welcome!
My new favourite chicken recipe! Thank you so much. Just a note that I didn’t have white wine so put in 1 or 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and it was perfect. Got rave reviews!
Glad it was a hit! 🙂
Thank you. Grilled some chicken thighs for a homemade soup and used some of those instead of the breasts. Made me look like a hero, my girls are thrilled. 🙂
Aw I love that! So glad your girls enjoyed it, James. 🙂
Sauce does not thicken on its own. Would like crispier chicken, so probably won’t add to skillet to cook more. Served over bed of pasta. Big potential but doesn’t work as written.
As per my usual style, I borrowed from a few recipes and Frankensteined a dish. This was the main one I got measurements from, and it was an outstanding meal.
All I added was:
– fresh ground poultry seasoning on raw chicken
– add Italian seasoning to dredge
– added sauteed mushroom and chopped sweet onion to sauce
– multiplied the sauce by 1.5
– when the sauce wasn’t thickening quick enough I added 3 tblspn flour, 1/4 cup parmesan, 3 tblspn cream cheese.
I would suggest using a large cast iron pan for the high walls, heat consistency, and all the scraping you’ll be doing. Thank you for the recipe, this went straight into my “all stars” pin board.
* and I personally used chardonnay. Though I know nothing about wine, so I couldn’t compare it to anything. Came out great though.
Glad it was a hit, Grant!! 😀 Thanks for your detailed notes.