Description
Creamy Chicken Florentine is an elegant Italian-inspired dish made with tender chicken breasts smothered in a rich garlic Parmesan cream sauce with wilted fresh spinach. This restaurant-quality meal comes together in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions. The combination of heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and fresh garlic creates a velvety sauce that’s absolutely irresistible!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the Spinach:
- 4–5 cups fresh baby spinach
Optional Garnish
- Extra Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Season both sides of your chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Don’t be shy here — season generously! This is your chance to build flavor right into the meat.
Heat the olive oil and butter together in your large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and starts to sizzle, you’re ready to cook.
Add your seasoned chicken to the hot pan and let it cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes per side. You want that gorgeous golden-brown color! The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate. Don’t worry if it looks a little lonely there — it’ll be back soon!
Keep your skillet on the heat (don’t wipe it out — all those browned bits are pure flavor!). Add your minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until it’s fragrant. Watch it closely; garlic can burn quickly, and we don’t want bitter bits in our sauce.
Pour in the chicken broth and use your wooden spoon to scrape up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This is called deglazing, and it’s where so much flavor comes from!
Stir in the heavy cream, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if using). Give everything a good stir to combine.
Let the sauce simmer gently for 3–5 minutes until it thickens slightly. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. Important: Keep this at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. High heat can cause the cream to separate, and we definitely don’t want that!
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until it’s completely melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy. This is when the sauce transforms into liquid gold!
Add all that fresh baby spinach to the pan. It will look like way too much at first, but don’t worry — it wilts down dramatically! Stir it gently and let it cook for 1–2 minutes until completely wilted into the sauce.
Return your chicken to the skillet, nestling it right into that creamy sauce. Spoon the sauce over the top of each piece so they’re beautifully coated.
Let everything simmer together for another 2–3 minutes. This allows the chicken to warm through and all those flavors to mingle and become best friends.
Garnish with extra Parmesan or fresh chopped parsley if desired, and serve immediately while it’s hot and creamy!
Notes
- Make the chicken extra tender: Pound it to an even thickness before slicing, or use a meat mallet. This ensures even cooking and tender bites every time.
- If your sauce gets too thick: Simply add a splash of chicken broth or pasta water (if serving with pasta) to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Don’t crowd the pan: If your skillet isn’t big enough for all four pieces of chicken without overlapping, cook them in batches. Crowding drops the temperature and steams the chicken instead of giving you that beautiful golden sear.
- Sauce separating? If it starts to look broken, remove from heat immediately and whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream. This can often save it!
- Common mistake to avoid: Adding the Parmesan while the heat is too high. Always reduce to medium-low before stirring in the cheese to prevent it from clumping.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop, Pan-Seared
- Cuisine: Italian