This Creamy Chicken Florentine is made with baby spinach in a light and creamy white sauce. It’s undeniably delicious!
Chicken Florentine
Chicken breast can be so boring, so when I make it for dinner, I need to find ways to make me fall in love. This simple Chicken Florentine recipe made with a creamy spinach sauce, most certainly did! This chicken recipe is a variation of the popular Fish Florentine and Marry Me Chicken, so good over pasta, with roasted potatoes or any grain you like. It’s so easy to make, and my picky husband loved it!
What is chicken Florentine made of?
Here’s the ingredients:
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into chicken cutlets, but chicken thighs would also work.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. You can add dried herbs like oregano or thyme.
- Flour: If you’re gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour mixture instead of all- purpose to dredge the chicken. You can omit this to keep it low carb.
- Shallots and Garlic give the sauce great flavor.
- Vegetables: Red bell pepper and baby spinach. You can sub tomatoes for the pepper, if you wish.
- Cream: I use small amounts of reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and- half for a healthy chicken Florentine that’s still creamy.
- Broth: You’ll need three-quarters of a cup of chicken broth. You can also use half broth, and half dry white wine like a sauvignon blanc or Pinot grigio.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add Parmesan to the Florentine sauce and save some for topping your chicken.
How to Make Chicken Florentine
- Prep Chicken: Pound the thicker end of the chicken breasts until they’re a half-inch thick so they’ll cook evenly. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, and dredge each piece in flour.
- Cook the chicken in a deep, large skillet on medium heat for three to four minutes on each side. Remove it from the pan, set aside, and wipe the pan clean.
- Vegetables: Sauté the shallots and garlic for a few minutes. Add the bell pepper and spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cover, cooking for five minutes until the spinach wilts.
- Chicken Florentine Sauce: Reduce the heat to low, and add the cream cheese, broth, half-and-half, salt, and parmesan. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well combined.
- Simmer: Return the chicken and its juices to the skillet and let it simmer for a few minutes until heated through.
What to Serve with Chicken Florentine
- Chicken Florentine Pasta: Serve it over your favorite pasta, like spaghetti or fusilli.
- Grains: If you don’t want pasta, try this easy chicken Florentine over quinoa, brown rice, or white rice.
- More Veggies: Pair this meal with a side salad, roasted green beans, or cauliflower mash.
Storage
Refrigerate the leftovers for up to four days and microwave until warm to reheat. The chicken Florentine will also freeze well for up to three months in freezer-safe containers and can be thawed overnight in the fridge.
Chicken Florentine FAQ
Contrary to popular belief, the origin of chicken Florentine is not from Florentine, Italy, but France. Florentine dishes originated in France after Catherine de ’Medici moved from Florence to Paris to marry King Henry II in the 1500s. When she moved, Catherine brought her Florentine cooks, and the “à la Florentine” style was created.
Florentine consists of a creamy sauce, spinach, and a protein. Chicken Florentine is one of the more popular versions, but there are also Florentine recipes with fish and eggs. The Florentine sauce typically gets its creamy consistency from some combination of heavy cream, butter, and parmesan, but many variations exist.
Catherine de ’Medici loved spinach, so spinach is always included in Florentine dishes.
More Chicken Breast Recipes You’ll Love
I have a ton of chicken breast recipes, here’s some of my most popular:
- Penne alla Vodka with Chicken
- Chicken Breast with Hot Cherry Peppers
- Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Baked Pesto Chicken Breast
Chicken Florentine Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, 8 ounces each, halved lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , plus 1/4 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour, or gluten-free flour mix
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
- 9 ounces fresh baby spinach, from two bags
- 2 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, I like Philadelphia
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons half & half cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Gently pound the thicker end of the breast to 1/2-inch thickness so the chicken cooks evenly. Season chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and black pepper, to taste.
- Dredge each chicken piece in flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through and has a golden-brown crust. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside and wipe the skillet.
- In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the minced shallot and garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until they become fragrant and translucent.
- Add the bell pepper and spinach, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cover, cook until the spinach wilts down stirring 2 to 3 times, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, and then add the cream cheese, chicken broth, half-and- half, 1/4 teaspoon salt and parmesan cheese and mix well until cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well combined.
- Return the chicken and any of its juices to the skillet with the spinach and let it simmer in the sauce for a few minutes until heated through.
Whole family loved this recipe! Fantastic flavor palate, simple ingredients, and quick prep time! It checks all of the boxes as usual. 👏
We made this for dinner today. We used frozen spinach. The chicken came out flavorful. Covered pan for a short time to reach temp. Loved the thick sauce. A little bland but I am careful with salt, so salt your plate up your liking! Had a household of happy mouths this evening. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I had to make it dairy free. Otherwise I would have loved it even more. Husband really appreciated it, he’s the dairy free person. Thank you
Gina knocked it outta the park with this recipe! This explains why I don’t eat in restaurants…when you can make this at home, why would you go out to eat? Delicious, easy, a keeper for sure. I followed the recipe except for one step…I needed to use a bit more olive oil, and I splashed some white wine in the pan to deglaze it. Love this dish! Thank you, Gina. I am starting to feel guilty getting all these great recipes for free. Many thanks!
Thanks Kathy! So glad you enjoyed it!
So good! I was excited to try this recipe and I’m so glad I did. It was delicious and easy to make.
This was awesome, even my 4 year old was doing the yummy happy dance eating the spinach.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was yummy, but the sauce was too thin, especially as we are doing lower carbs so not serving with something to soak it up. I think maybe a bit of cornstarch would help for next time. But very yummy.
Holy crap, new fav in our house!!
Gina the orzo in the picture is that just plan orzo served with the dish? Making this tonight
Sorry for the late response, but yes just plain orzo. 🙂
Super delicious and flavorful!! Used sun dried tomatoes instead of red bell pepper! Will definitely make again!!
Maddie and loved it! It was pretty simple to make and quick too.
It’s a keeper.
Delicious and easy to make
Very delicious, especially with that cream cheese
Easy to make and soooo delicious!! Thanks!!
About the divided parmesan, how much, where and when? Thank you
I make this recipe probably once a week – it is fantastic!
I’ve been cooking Gina’s recipes for over 8 years now and can I say I’m so sad I haven’t tried this one until today! This is a 5 star +++++++
Thank you!
Our family absolutely loves this dish. It comes together quickly and is easy to prepare. So delicious!
Love this recipe. I have made this many times and it come out perfect every time exactly as written. So much flavor.
This recipe has potential, but was a bit too cheesy and bland for me. It could have used more brightness. Maybe deglazing the pan with a little wine or lemon juice would have helped. I used pre-made chicken cutlets, and should have pounded the meat thinner. I would also add more spinach and maybe mushrooms. Also, I made the mistake of cooking in a cast iron pan, and everything stuck. Next time, I’d use a nonstick pan.
This recipe was incredible!! I will definitely be making it again
This is such a flavorful delicious meal. It has become a family favorite and my husband said it’s his top 5 favorite meals that I’ve cooked! It’s so good in fact that I made it twice in 4 days!
This was so good! Will definitely make it again. I served it with quinoa, which I don’t love, but this recipe made it work.
Loved this! Have yet to find a ‘skinnytaste’ recipe I didn’t like … but this one will be added to my rotation on a frequent basis!
I am SO glad!
This is so good, I will definitely make it again.
This was absolutely awesome!
My husband and I love this. It is what I call “company good”!!
This Chicken Florentine recipe is a keeper! With some mashed potatoes on the side, the extra gravy made a good topper. It tasted deliciously decadent yet has low WW points. I will definitely be making this recipe again. Thank you, Gina.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is a really quick and easy recipe. Added bonus-it taste delicious!!!!
My whole family is insisting that this recipe be added to our regular meal plans! The sauce is so velvety and flavorful! I loved the fresh vegetables in the dish too.
Btw, I used ripe plum tomatoes in place of red pepper, due to personal preference. I served it with orzo and a salad.
We really enjoyed the historical notes on Florentine dishes. My father, a proud Italian, always insisted that the only reason the French learned to cook was because Catherine De Medici bought her cooks from Florence when she married into the French royal family.
Wonderful recipe! Not that difficult to make and felt like it could have been served at a nice restaurant. We used chicken tenders instead of breasts. It’s a keeper, for sure!
Can you omit the cream cheese? This looks delicious but my husband is not a fan of cream cheese.
Don’t tell him, he’ll never know 🤪
Is there a way to identify which cookbook these recipes come from?
Most of the recipes on the site are not in the cookbooks, but there is a cookbook tab at the top where you can check the index.
Excellent tasting meal!
With watching my diet I was looking for something delicious to do with chicken. Found this recipe and it looked too be good to be able to add to my recipes to enjoy. Totally delicious! I did diced red peppers but also added sliced mushrooms that I sautéed after cooking the chicken. I will be making this again. I made angel hair pasta to go with it as my husband needs a bit more to a meal than chicken and spinach.
This recipe was absolutely fabulous!!! My whole family loved it! The creamy sauce alone is to die for! I served it over angel hair pasta and it was a huge hit! Thank you so much!
This recipe was quick and so delicious! I did double garlic and shallots as well as the garlic powder as I prefer a TON of flavor. I’m on a low carb diet and with the added veggies, the dish was fulfilling without anything else! Although I did dream about soaking up the sauce with some crispy bread 🤭
Are there any parts of the recipe you can make ahead of time?
I made this tonight and if I were to make it again, you could chop the shallots and red pepper ahead of time.
Made this tonight for our family of 3. Everyone enjoyed and said we could definitely have this again. I used 6 total pieces of chicken and went with the 2x recipe. Would cut back the chicken broth from 3/4 for 6 pieces just so the sauce is thicker.
The ingredients list says “9 oz of Fresh Spinach from 2 bags”
Is this 2 – 9 oz bags ? (totaling 18 oz)
OR
2 – 4.5 oz bags ? (totaling 9 oz)
Just confused by the “from 2 bags” Thank you for any help.
Absolutely loved this chicken dish! My husband asked if we could have it once a week! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Glad you both enjoyed it!
Delicious! Family asked me to add to the “rotation”… Steve
This was a HUGE HIT!
Definitely ‘once a week ‘
Hubby loved it!
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for the half and half?
Any suggestions for sub for half & half ?
I don’t have half and half either but I read about substituting something like 2% milk and butter or cornstarch as a substitute? I don’t know of anything else
You could use a mix of milk and heavy cream if you have it, or you could sub greek yogurt in a pinch.
You can try substituting yogurt for half & half, but probably should opt for plain yogurt instead of Greek because the tang of the Greek yogurt might impact how much you like the sauce. I generally find that recipes that call for half & half don’t taste the same if I sub in yogurt, but try it, you might like it.
Another delicious meal! My teen son and hubby both couldn’t stop complimenting this one. They were primed and ready after smelling me cook while watching football. haha! I served this over pasta and it was delicious. The only thing I would like is if the sauce had a chance to thicken a bit. I didn’t have the patience or time to mess with a cornstarch slurry but that would’ve been an easy fix. Next time I’ll do that… I’ll be making it again for sure.
So delicious!!
We absolutely love this recipe. Only change is a touch more garlic. Served it over whole wheat egg noodles with a side salad.
This recipe was excellent! Got all the right notes. I served it over a cauliflower/potato blend mash. The sauce served as a gravy, and was so creamy. The entire family had seconds.
I loved this and will make it again! Such comforting flavors. I forgot to get half-n-half so I used 2% milk and added a bit of butter and it still turned out great! Looking forward to making this again.
Another great one! Easy and delicious! Thank you!
This recipe was simple but delicious. Even my 9 and 11 year old picky eaters enjoyed it. We served over orzo.
Perfect!
We loved this.
We made this again tonight and it fabulous again!
This was amazing!
Love this one so much! It’s a repeated recipe in my home, about every week. I make it with your roasted parmesan green beans on the side.
DELICIOUS
Great recipe! Delicious, easy and my family loved it. Will be making it on repeat! I have yet to find a Skinnytaste recipe that I don’t love!
Thanks Karen!
Super ready and delicious! I had to substitute onions for shallots and used frozen spinach which I already had on hand. Served with air fryer roaster baby potatoes. Will definitely be making this again.
This was really tasty. I would happily make this again.
I’m looking to make this tonight, I have everything but the spinach, can I use cut up pieces of kale instead?
Sure that should be fine.
So good. I wouldn’t dredge my chicken next time, but its so good.
I never leave comments, but this is delicious. I made it exactly as the recipe was written and it is so good!! Make it …you won’t be disappointed.
Excellent
Very tasty! As a short-cut, I used pre-cooked roasted chicken breasts which I diced and added to the sauce. I also didn’t divide the parmesan, but put it all in the sauce. Served over rice. A nice, quick, nutritious and flavorful meal.
Absolutely delicious!
Super delicious! I only had frozen spinach in a giant bag, so I just added what looked like a good amount. It worked well. I have some picky eaters in my house, so after cooking the onion/garlic/spinach, I threw it into the blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blended until smooth and then returned it to the pan. My sauce was then green, but it didn’t matter. It was gobbled up by everyone in my house, even the three year old.
Perfect! 🙂
could use more spinach
Sorry I meant to put five stars. Great recipe!
Chicken breast really is a versatile ingredient, and I love how it can be used in so many easy meal ideas! These reader-favorite recipes are such great examples—they show just how creative and delicious chicken breast dishes can be. Whether you’re in the mood for something quick or something a bit more special, there’s always a recipe that fits the bill.
A family favorite, even my 14 year old, non-spinach eating child ate this and loved it. (I chopped the spinach up into small pieces.) We love it with orzo – or pasta rice as my son calls it.
Love this recipe! Can this freeze well? I’d like to make ahead and freeze for busy days? Thanks 🙂
I forgot to take a picture, but i made this recently.It was so delicious! even my picky husband liked it.
Outstanding and will certainly make it again, many times over.
Easy prep and it comes out delicious!!
Thanks Lawrence!
A family favorite! I make this weekly or biweekly. Double it for easy leftovers. I serve with orzo and my 4 kids under 9 years old gobble it up!!!
Perfect!
The flavour is good but I find the flour dredge to be unnecessary. Gives the chicken an odd texture. Some may like it, but I personally prefer to get the browning without the flour
Delicious! I, too, added some mushrooms that were wanting to be used. We’ll have the leftovers on another nights and I’ll add some leftover asparagus. I cooked some whole wheat penne to serve with it.
This was awesome! Will make over and over.
Made this tonight and loved it. So flavorful and easy to make. This is a keeper.
Easy and really taste
10/10 recommend this recipe. It tastes rich as if I have top tier culinary skills but nothing broke the bank. I’ve followed Skinnytaste since 2014 and Gina has not disappointed in any recipe!
Thanks Melinda!
Excellent!
I made this for 9 guests last night and it was clean plates and compliments all around. I marinated the chicken in milk for a couple hours ahead, pre-prepared the chicken and refrigerated it until dinner time, added mushrooms, and served with garlicky spaghetti squash.
I made this last night. My husband & I both really enjoyed it. The sauce wasn’t as thick as I would have liked so I mixed 1 tsp corn starch with some water & added that to thicken it up. Then it was perfect. I served it over brown rice.
I made this today. I added mushrooms and red pepper. The sauce was awesome and I would double it next time it was so good. Served over basmati rice and it was delicious! Make it! You won’t be disappointed!
Oh my goodness this was so good! Like so so good! I had my husband make it so I know he tweaked it a little, but this is 100% one of my new favorites. We ate without additional sides and were completely satisfied!
Delicious! Used mushrooms instead of bell pepper.
This turned out so good! My picky husband loved it. The sauce was so flavorful. It was perfect over rice. This will definitely go into our rotation.
I made this dish and it was delish! I did not use the cream because I am a big lactose intolerant. The little cream cheese made it creamy enough. I also added some white wine to the chicken stock and a few mushrooms. Easy and different!
This was delicious! My husband and 2 year old loved it. Will definitely be a repeat recipe in our household!
This was delicious! I added mushrooms as well
Delicious 😋
This was so flavorful, I loved it! Will add it to my dinner ideas. It was relatively easy to make too! I am not a fan of a ton of steps after working all day. Thank you for your delicious recipes!
Made this tonight and was delicious!!! My daughter and husband loved it!!
Really good!
This was delish! My husband and I loved it
I made this dish and it was delicious. I will definitely be making it again.
Could you use fat free Greek yogurt instead of the half and half? Trying to avoid buying a carton of h&h just for 3 tbsp….
One of my favorite meals!
Was going to try the recipe. But there were too many pop up ads confusing the page I gave up
If you have an iPhone, you can click on the AA in address bar and select reader view. It temporarily removes all of the ads
Thanks Noreen for the tip. This has been driving me crazy on my phone and iPad. This makes a huge difference!!!!
So good!! Family loved it.
Easy and very delicious!! I now make a version of this recipe once a week. I add different veggies or add tomato paste and make different rices and pastas.
I have all your cookbooks and have cooked countless recipes from your website yet rarely rate and comment. This recipe was delicious. I cut the recipe in half (just 2 of us) and also added mushrooms because I needed to use up. It will now be in our rotation. I served with rice on the side. What winner!
Excellent. I served
With 1/2 cup
Of orzo. Squeeze some lemon on too.
Can you substitute anything for the half and half?
My sauce separated. Any idea why?
This turned out so lovely! Both delicious and beautiful. I served it with pasta and it was a hit. Thanks for another great dinner!
This recipe also does well with a half bag of chopped spinach buried deep in the freezer (because no one wanted to be the one to “put it in anything”!) The last step came together quickly and I doused the top with a little extra parm. Delish!
Delicious recipe! When doing Weight Watchers or any other type of weight loss program, this recipe gives you complete satisfaction. It feels like you are eating something rich and indulgent and naughty!
I made this for the first time last week. It is now my favorite Skinnytaste recipe!
This dish is satisfying to the eye and the stomach! It comes together quickly and could be made for company as well as a week night meal!
Love this. I added mushrooms as well. Either shopped or canned will work.
This just became an instant favorite in my house. Somehow it is even better than the fish florentine we already love!
We served it over mashed potatoes.
OMG sooooooo good!
Thank you!
My family quickly and unanimously called this one a “make again.” And it’s simple enough that I am happy to oblige!
First off, I am not the best cook and could never come up with a recipe like this myself. I followed this and omg this is the best meal I’ve ever made. I felt like I ordered this at some fancy restaurant. My family absolutely loved it as well. We loved it so much I made it two days in a row. Th second day I added mushrooms to the recipe and oh my if you love mushrooms do try that! Thanks so much for posting such a delicious and healthy dish!!
So glad you all enjoyed it!
This is ridiculously good!
Thanks!
Very good flavor. Used boneless chicken thighs rather than breasts. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. The sauce was thin, watery. Would use less chicken broth next time.
I just made this last night for my husband and my sister and all 3 of us couldn’t stop talking about how good it was! I followed the recipe exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing. This recipe is super easy to put together, making it the perfect meal for a weeknight or on the weekend if you want more time for socializing rather than cooking in the kitchen. I served everything over orzo as well and it was absolutely perfect. We will definitely be making this again! Thank you!!
Glad you all enjoyed it!
I prepared this recipe for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious! I served it over orzo and was very happy that there was plenty of sauce for both the chicken and the orzo. Another five star recipe from Gina!
Any recommendation on a gf flour to use? Would cornstarch work?
Knew I wanted to make this when you published this recipe and made it tonight. Wonderful! My side was ST roasted mushrooms with Parmesan.
Will definitely be on repeat!
Made this last night. Delicious! My husband is not a big fan of chicken, but he loved this!
Easy to make and delicious. I like how you added veggies to the recipe. Served over orzo my whole family loved it.
Could I possibly use shrimp instead of chicken for a Friday Lenten dinner?
Sure. Check this recipe too https://www.skinnytaste.com/fish-florentine/
So so so good! Tastes like a restaurant dinner.
Absolutely amazing!! The flavor is spectacular 🤤😋
Flavorful and fast – perfect for a weeknight. Didn’t change a thing. Everyone enjoyed it!
Great recipe. I think it took me a bit longer because I wasn’t as organized as I could have been during my prep. Very similar to the Marry Me chicken, but the small changes make it a very different dish. I added sautéed mushrooms to ours and it was so good. I just had the leftovers last night and its even better than before. Another winning recipe for sure.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and it’s Easy to make!
I made this last night and it was excellent! My partner and I both really liked it. I made a couple modifications: I used 4 oz of cream cheese, subbed in heavy cream for half and half, and added a diced carrot because I wanted to use up what I had in the fridge. I served it over orzo.
Delicious! Love how simple this recipe is but low calorie also. I paired it with orzo pasta and air fryer roasted broccoli. My husband said “this needs to go in the rotation.” 🤣
What could I sub for cream cheese? Allergic to just cream cheese. Thanks!!
I have subbed Laughing Cow cheese for cream cheese. Perhaps that will work for you.
Amazing! It was easy and absolutely delicious!
This is so good!
Delicious! Made per recipe with no changes and my family loved it. I served it over noodles, I sprinkled a little chili flake on mine, sooo good.
Fantastic recipe! I made it for our Valentines dinner last night and it was out of this world good.
I have never left a review anywhere for anything, but…I am a fan of Gina’s recipes and this was amazing. I made it for Valentine’s Day and hubby could not get enough!! Thank you!!
I am so glad!!