Chicken Florentine: Creamy 30-Minute One-Pan Recipe

• Prep10 min
• Cook20 min
• Total30 min
• Serves4

Chicken Florentine has been on American dinner tables since the 1970s, and it still earns its spot — golden pan-seared chicken finished in a garlicky parmesan cream loaded with fresh spinach. It’s the dish that made “restaurant-quality at home” a phrase, and the whole thing comes together in one skillet. If you love this kind of creamy skillet chicken, you’ll already know our chicken francese and chicken Marsala without wine — Florentine is their spinach-forward cousin.

What is chicken Florentine?

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ lb / 700 g), sliced horizontally into 4 cutlets
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ cup dry white wine (or ½ cup extra chicken stock + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 5 oz fresh baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

How to make chicken Florentine

1. Prep the cutlets. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into 2 thin cutlets. Pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
2. Sear. Heat olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook cutlets 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and just cooked through (internal temp 165°F / 74°C per USDA). Transfer to a plate.
3. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter to the skillet. Cook shallot 2 minutes, then garlic 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in wine and scrape up the browned bits — reduce 90 seconds.
4. Add liquid. Pour in chicken stock and cream. Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Simmer 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Finish with spinach and parmesan. Off the heat, whisk in parmesan until melted. Add spinach in two handfuls, stirring until just wilted (about 90 seconds — do not overcook).
6. Return the chicken. Nestle cutlets back into the sauce. Warm through 2–3 minutes. Taste, adjust salt, and serve immediately.

Watch it made (video)

Chef John of Food Wishes calls this “the only chicken florentine recipe you need.” His technique — sear hard, build the cream sauce in the same pan, wilt the spinach at the very end — is the method used above.

Cooking times and temperatures

What to serve with chicken Florentine

The dish is sauce-forward — the sides need to catch every drop:

• Angel hair or fettuccine pasta — the classic Italian-American pairing
• Mashed potatoes — the ultimate cream-sauce vehicle
• Buttered rice or risotto — for a more elegant plate
• Crusty bread — for mopping the skillet clean
• Roasted asparagus or green beans — for a lighter, greener plate

Common questions

Can I make chicken Florentine without wine?

Yes — replace the ½ cup wine with ½ cup extra chicken stock plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. The acid brightens the cream the way wine normally does. Our chicken Marsala without wine uses the same swap and it works perfectly.

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes. Thaw 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, squeeze out every drop of liquid with your hands (this is critical — wet spinach dilutes the sauce), then stir in at the end. Fresh baby spinach gives brighter color and better texture, but frozen works when it’s what you have.

Why is my sauce breaking or curdling?

Two causes: heat too high (cream splits above a gentle simmer) or acidic ingredients hitting the cream too fast. Always reduce the wine before adding cream, keep the heat at medium-low once cream is in, and remove from heat before adding parmesan.

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes. Boneless skinless thighs work beautifully — they stay juicier than breasts. Cook 5–6 minutes per side (thighs are slightly thicker). The dish becomes richer with thighs; that’s a feature.

How is Florentine different from other creamy chicken dishes?

Florentine = spinach in the sauce. Compare it to chicken francese (egg batter, lemon-butter), chicken piccata (capers, lemon, no cream), or chicken saltimbocca (prosciutto, sage, lemon-butter). Florentine is the creamiest and greenest of the group.

How do I store leftovers?

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of cream or stock — never microwave a cream sauce or it will break. Freezing is not recommended; cream sauces separate on thaw.

Emma’s final note

The single mistake I see over and over with Florentine is dumping cold cream into a screaming-hot pan. The cream shocks, splits, and you end up with a curdled mess and 30 minutes of regret. Reduce the wine first, drop the heat to medium-low, then pour the cream. Warm it up gently. Add the parmesan off the heat. Follow that order and the sauce will always be silky.