This chicken Florentine is the perfect special chicken dinner! Parmesan-coated chicken breast cutlets are pan-seared, then combined with a white wine, cream, cream cheese and spinach sauce. Lots of Parmesan cheese tops it off beautifully! It’s all made in about 30 minutes on the stovetop.

Chicken Florentine in a skillet.

Whenever I am looking for an easy dinner that also feels special, this chicken Florentine always delivers. It’s a classic combination of flavours, universally loved and a bit indulgent for when that’s needed. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice for a fabulous chicken dinner.

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Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Chicken breast cutlets – You’ll want to start with chicken breast cutlets, which are essentially boneless chicken breasts sliced in half crosswise into thinner cutlets. Many grocery stores sell them as cutlets, or you can buy boneless chicken breasts and slice them into cutlets yourself.

White wine – Use any white wine you have or enjoy. If you prefer not to use wine, simply substitute the same amount of chicken broth.

Cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese for the most luscious sauce, but light cream cheese could also be used.

Cream – Again, use heavy whipping cream for the nicest sauce, but substituting a lighter cream such as half-and-half, will also work.

Spinach – Start with a large container or bag of fresh baby spinach, as you’ll need 4 well-packed cups of spinach for this dish. I recommend fresh spinach, though frozen, thawed and squeezed spinach would work in a pinch.

How to make chicken Florentine

This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making this recipe.

Parmesan-coated chicken cutlets cooking in butter in a skillet.
1
Browned chicken cutlets in a skillet.
2
Browned cutlets removed to a plate.
3
  1. Start by heating some butter and olive oil in a skillet. Coat the chicken cutlets in the flour and Parmesan cheese mixture and add to the hot skillet.
  2. Brown the cutlets on both sides.
  3. Remove the browned chicken cutlets to a plate.
Shallots cooking in butter in a skillet.
4
Skillet after wine was added to deglaze.
5
Adding chicken broth to the skillet.
6
  1. To the same skillet, add a bit more butter and soften the shallot and garlic.
  2. Add the wine to the skillet to deglaze.
  3. Add the chicken broth to the skillet.
Adding cream and cream cheese to the skillet.
7
Adding fresh spinach to the sauce.
8
Chicken returned to the pan and simmering in the sauce.
9
  1. Add the cream and cream cheese to the skillet and stir in well.
  2. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted.
  3. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer in the sauce until the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe video

Recipe tips!

  • If cutting the chicken into cutlets from a large chicken breast, you’ll find that the top half is lovely and neat, while the bottom half not so much. I like to use just the neat top halves for this dish (so I start with 4 full chicken breasts), and I freeze the bottom parts for another dish. They are perfect for chicken tenders or to dice up for other recipes.
  • Don’t skip the step to microwave (or warm) the cream cheese before adding it to the sauce. If you add cold cream cheese, the sauce may split.
  • As written, the sauce leans a bit rich, though the plentiful spinach balances that nicely. That’s great if that’s what you’re after. If you’re looking for a lighter dish, though, you can swap the heavy cream with half-and-half cream and use light cream cheese, if you like.
  • If lightening up the dish with lighter cream and cream cheese, you may want to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking with a quick cornstarch slurry. Simply mix 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of cold water. Drizzle into the simmering sauce a bit at a time, stirring, until the sauce thickens to your desired level.
  • This dish is best enjoyed freshly cooked, but if you need to make it ahead, refrigerate well-covered, then reheat over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth to the skillet if the sauce needs to be loosened. Be careful not to overheat or heat too long to avoid over-cooking the chicken.
Chicken Florentine in a skillet.

Serving suggestions

I love to serve chicken Florentine with mashed potatoes, either regular buttery mashed potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes. Rice, either white or brown, would also be a nice addition to the plate.

There is plenty of spinach in the sauce, so an additional vegetable may not be necessary. If you wanted to add one, I think anything green (broccoli, broccolini, green beans) would be great.

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Chicken Florentine in a skillet.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Florentine

This easy, delicious and classic chicken Florentine is the chicken dinner that always feels special, without the extra work! Boneless chicken breast cutlets are coated in Parmesan and pan-seared, then combined with a cream, cream cheese and spinach sauce.
5 stars from 2 ratings
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 4 thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets, about 1 pound *see Note 1 below
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium shallot, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, or substitute more chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
  • 2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 cups baby spinach, packed (about 6 oz)

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour and Parmesan cheese to a large plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir together well. Set aside.
  • Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of butter to the pan. Melt and stir together. Dredge each chicken breast cutlet in the flour and Parmesan mixture, evenly coating the chicken on both sides. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and cook until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate (the chicken will not be cooked through at this point).
  • To the same skillet, add another 2 Tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt. Add the shallot, garlic and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring until the shallot is softened and garlic is softened, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the wine to the skillet and allow the wine to boil for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Add the chicken broth, basil and oregano and stir, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half, about 3 minutes.
  • Tip! It's important that the cream cheese not be cold when added to the skillet, as it may split in the sauce. I like to add the cream cheese to a small bowl and microwave it for 10-15 seconds before adding it to the skillet.
  • Add the heavy cream and the cream cheese to the skillet and stir, allowing the cream cheese to soften and melt. Use a whisk if needed to smooth the sauce well. Add the baby spinach to the skillet and stir until it is coated by the cream sauce and the spinach is beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.
  • Return the chicken breasts to the pan, together with any juices on the plate and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season the skillet with a bit more salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan on top.

Notes

Note 1: Chicken breast cutlets are boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut in half crosswise into two thin cutlets. Some grocery stores sell pre-sliced cutlets or you can buy the full chicken breasts and slice them yourself.
Tips!
If cutting the chicken into cutlets from a large chicken breast, you’ll find that the top half is lovely and neat, while the bottom half not so much. I like to use just the neat top halves for this dish (so I start with 4 full chicken breasts), and I freeze the bottom parts for another dish. They are perfect for chicken tenders or to dice up for other recipes.
As written, the sauce leans a bit rich, though the plentiful spinach balances that nicely. That’s great if that’s what you’re after. If you’re looking for a lighter dish, though, you can swap the heavy cream with half-and-half cream and use light cream cheese, if you like.
If lightening up the dish with lighter cream and cream cheese, you may want to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking with a quick cornstarch slurry. Simply mix 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of cold water. Drizzle into the simmering sauce a bit at a time, stirring, until the sauce thickens to your desired level.
This dish is best enjoyed freshly cooked, but if you need to make it ahead, refrigerate well-covered, then reheat over low heat, adding a splash of chicken broth to the skillet if the sauce needs to be loosened. Be careful not to overheat or heat too long to avoid over-cooking the chicken.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips, substitution suggestions, step-by-step photos and a recipe video that you might find helpful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 509kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 155mg, Sodium: 409mg, Potassium: 736mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3884IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 170mg, Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Leaving a review is always appreciated and so helpful for our fellow cooks!

Adapted from a NYT Cooking/Dan Pelosi recipe

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