Chicken Florentine Pasta

Chicken Florentine Pasta is sure to be a new family favorite! This pasta florentine is perfect for a fast weeknight dinner, made in just 30 minutes, and made in just one pot. Making dinner cleanup a breeze. Did I mention you’ll have enough leftovers for lunch the next day, too?

When my husband and I were first living together I would make us Bertoli Bag’s for dinner at least once a week. It was an easy no-fail dinner. Our favorite flavor was the chicken florentine pasta bag. The frozen meal got expensive, and let’s face it only gave us enough for dinner for the two of us. Fast forward to a few years later and that’s when I got the idea one day to create my own version of our favorite bagged chicken florentine pasta dinner!

Ingredients

• Olive Oil – I like to use olive oil but grapeseed oil works too.
• Chicken Breast – Two boneless skinless chicken breast will go along way in this recipe.
• Salt & Pepper – The only time I use this is for seasoning the chicken breast.
• Italian Seasoning – I like to coat the chicken breast with Italian Seasoning as well.
• Garlic – This is a must with any pasta dish. If you don’t have fresh you can always use dehydrated garlic or even a little garlic powder!
• Shallot – This is not an ingredient I always have on hand. If you don’t have it on hand you can use white onion. The only difference is that the shallot has a milder onion taste.
• Mushroom – I use either white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms left sliced or chopped.
• White wine – White wine lends a layer of flavor and key to making an authentic Florentine sauce.
• Dry bow tie pasta – I love to use Farfalle pasta (also known as bow tie pasta) or you could use penne.
• Chicken broth – This will add additional flavor to your pasta. I always use a low-sodium chicken broth whenever I cook with chicken broth, so I can control the amount of sodium in the dish.
• Heavy cream – This is a must. However, if you don’t have any, half and half mixed with a little cornstarch will work.
• Plum tomatoes – I personally find that plum tomatoes
• Spinach – Fresh spinach and chopped works best. I have never used frozen spinach for this recipe. So I cannot speak to how it will cook in the recipe.
• Parmesan cheese – I like to use grated Parmesan cheese, but Peccorino Romano will also work.

Directions

In a large 5 quart skillet, heat olive oil on high. While olive oil is heating, tenderize the chicken until even in size with a meat mallet. Dry the chicken off completely and season on both side with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Place chicken in skillet, reduce heat to medium. Cook on each side for 3 minutes. Until cooked through and golden in color. Remove the chicken from the pot and set on a plate to rest.

Add the sliced shallots back to the skillet, and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bits stuck to the pan for 30 seconds. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set to the side.

Add the dry pasta to the same skillet. Toast pasta for 30 seconds, then pour the chicken broth. Mix well, and let cook with lid on for 15 minutes. Mix every few minutes to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the pasta is cooking, slice/chop the chicken.

Once the pasta is cooked. Turn the burner down to low. Pour in the heavy cream. Mix well and then add the diced plum tomatoes, sliced chicken, mushrooms, and spinach. Mix well, place lid on the skillet for about 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

FAQs

Tips & Tricks

I’ve been making this spinach florentine pasta recipe for years, and over the years I have found the following tips and tricks that help me execute this dinner flawlessly every time.

• Chop – Take the time to chop the spinach. It allows the spinach to evenly distribute and won’t clump up.
• Large skillet – You want a very large skillet for this recipe so your food has enough room to cook.
• Shallots – If you don’t have shallots on hand you can use a little bit of white onion. The shallots are a milder version of an onion.
• Mushrooms – You can use just about any variety of mushroom for this recipe. I typically use white or baby bella’s. Don’t like mushrooms? Omit them, but it will change the flavor of the dish, and won’t have as much umami to it. I don’t like mushrooms, so I just keep them large enough so I can easily pick out!
• White Wine – This is used to deglaze the vegetables. All the alcohol is cooked off. If you don’t like to cook with wine or don’t have any on hand you can substitute it for chicken broth!
• Pasta – Don’t have farfalle pasta otherwise known as bow tie pasta on hand? No worries, you could also use penne pasta for this dish. You could use a fettuccine; however, you would need to cook it separate and then add to the dish.
• Saucy – If you like your pasta on the saucier side, you can add additional heavy cream just before serving.
• Instant Pot – Wondering how to convert this to the Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot Chicken Florentine Pasta recipe.

One Pot Pasta Recipes

I love a good one pot pasta recipe. Here are a few of my favorites that I make often.

• One Pot Sausage & Peppers Pasta Skillet
• One Pot Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta
• One Pot Pumpkin Pasta
• One Pot Chipotle Ranch Chicken Pasta
• One Pot Kielbasa and Broccoli Pasta

If you make this chicken florentine recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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