Chicken Florentine (with Quinoa)

Whether the story of Catherine de Medici bringing spinach seeds and a staff of Italian chefs when she married Henry the II of France in 1533, or whether Auguste Escoffier included Sole Florentine in his 1903 cookbook, Le guide Culinaire, when you see a recipe with ‘Florentine’ in the title, know that it refers to a creamy dish with spinach.

     One of my favorite Irish cooking personalities, Clodaugh McKenna posted a Chicken Florentine recipe on Instagram.  I took this one step further and brought it into 2025, serving it with quinoa.  This is a one pot/pan meal-aside from the quinoa.  Basically, you are making a béchamel sauce.  A béchamel sauce is a French creamy white sauce.  I had cooked the quinoa earlier in the day for a salad.  You could use a dry white wine to deglaze the pan, but that would be optional.  I like the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added to the pan at the end of the cooking process. This was our Sunday night dinner and there is enough for 2 more servings.  Accompanying this dish was quinoa, which the Chicken Florentine was served atop as well as roasted broccoli in the over for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees with a little drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Here’s you go…

Chicken Florentine Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

-4 chicken breasts

-1 Tablespoons olive oil

-salt/pepper to taste 

-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

-8 ounce sliced organic mushrooms

-1/2 cup finely diced onions (use a white onion, I only had a red one on      hand)

-3 teaspoons minced garlic

-2 Tablespoons unbleached flour

-1 cup whole milk

-3/4 cup chicken stock( I use Better Than Bouillon)

-2 cups washed and drained baby spinach

-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-1Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or bottled, if that’s what you have on hand)

-1/4 cup (or more if desired) chopped fresh parsley

-Sea Salt and Freshly round black pepper to taste

Method

1.  At medium heat, add olive oil to either a sauté pan or Dutch oven, like a Le Creuset, or something similar.  Place chicken breasts, seasoned with salt & pepper.  if you are using thick breasts, slice into halves.  If you have thick chicken breasts, place chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and pound briefly with either a kitchen mallet or gently with a wine bottle.  Brown chicken on both sides-about 5 minutes or so per side, depending on chicken’s thickness.
2. When chicken is browned, remove to plate.  Melt the 3 Tablespoons of butter in the saute’ pan or stockpot.  Add chopped onions, mushrooms, cook fore about 3 minutes or so, until onions are translucent. Add garlic for the last minute.  (Here’s where you would add about 1/2 cup of a dry white wine to deglaze pan-do this for about 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add the 2 Tablespoons unbleached flour, folding to coat the vegetables.  Add the milk, slowly and the heated chicken stock.  Stir occasionally to avoid lumps, cook for about 4 minutes. 

4.  Add the baby spinach and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir for about 30 seconds.

5.  Return the cooked chicken breasts to the pan and stir, cooking fore about 4-5 minutes until sauce thickens a bit.

6.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes, make sure chicken is cooked all the way through, taking a small piece out to sample for no pinkness.  Add the 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and fresh parsley and stir. 

7.  Serve atop brown rice, Quinoa or solo, along side your favorite vegetable.  Yum!!  Enjoy!