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This lighter Chicken Florentine is so cozy and full of flavor. It’s made with Italian seasoning, fresh Parmesan, and a creamy sauce that feels comforting without being heavy. It’s an easy, low-carb dinner that satisfies those Italian food cravings and works perfectly on a busy weeknight.
Whenever you want something quick and simple chicken recipe, this creamy chicken florentine is the perfect option, that’s ready in just 30 minutes. Chicken breasts seared to perfection and cooked in a delicious creamy, garlicky sauce, made with a mix of milk, broth, parmesan cheese, and spinach.
This meal is balanced, gluten-free, and keto, so it works well for those who are looking for a low-carb meal, and you can serve it with cauliflower rice. This dish is satisfying, packed with protein, and a great way to squeeze in a hearty meal that the whole family will love.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients Needed
This is just a list of ingredients you will need for Chicken Florentine. You can find the full measurements listed below in the recipe card.
- Chicken breasts: I used large chicken breasts that are about 1.2 pounds, and I cut them in half to make chicken cutlets.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
- Oil: I used olive oil, or any type of neutral oil like avocado oil will work too.
- Chicken broth: vegetable broth will work well too
- Flour: I used a gluten-free option, but any flour works, or you can use cornstarch for a thicker consistency.
- Milk: I used 2% milk, or any kind of milk, like unsweetened almond milk, will work.
- Spinach: I like using fresh spinach. But you can also use frozen spinach.
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or store-bought, will be just fine.
How to Make Chicken Florentine
- Season and cook chicken: First, season both sides of the chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Next, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Then, cook the chicken on both sides until golden brown. Set aside and keep warm.
- Cook garlic: Add the remaining oil to the skillet and sauté the garlic. Pour in the chicken broth and add Italian seasoning. Scrape the bottom of the pan. Next, set the liquid to medium heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced.
- Make sauce: Meanwhile, in a small jug, whisk the flour with almond milk until no visible lumps remain. Add the milk mixture to the pan and whisk to combine. Add the spinach and parmesan cheese and stir.
- Combine: Next, return the chicken to the pan and continue to cook until fully cooked through.
- Serve: Finally, serve warm with more parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Recipe Notes, substitutes, and Tips
- Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Do not overcook the chicken or else it will get too dry and rubbery.
- Add capers for additional flavor.
- Serve this chicken florentine recipe with gnocchi, pasta, or cauliflower rice.
- Chicken: I used chicken breast, but you may use boneless chicken thighs. Keep in mind, they will be higher in fat and calories. Don’t like chicken? Use shrimp or check out our Salmon Florentine recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Frozen spinach will also work if that’s all you have on hand. I recommend that you thaw and drain the spinach well before adding it to the sauce.
If you find that the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, add a bit more flour, or you can make a small corn starch slurry and add it in to help thicken the sauce.
Coconut milk will work just as well as any other milk. You can use the canned version of coconut milk. Just make sure you are using unsweetened.
Of course. You can use salmon in place of chicken for this recipe. In fact, I have a salmon florentine recipe that you can check out, which is made with added mushrooms.
You may also like
- Balsamic Chicken Skillet
- Creamy Italian Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Spinach
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Marinated Flank Steak
- Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Salmon Piccata
- Balsamic Chicken Breast
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave me some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! I would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
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Chicken Florentine Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds chicken breasts, cut into cutlets
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt , to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- 1 pinch Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Any milk, I used almond milk, 2% works well too
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour, any flour or cornstarch will work
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Optional
- more parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Season the 2.5 pounds chicken breasts with ½ teaspoon garlic powder, Kosher salt , and pepper on both sides.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Set aside on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil to the hot skillet and sauté the 3 garlic cloves (minced) for about 30 seconds. Pour in the ⅔ cup chicken broth and add the 1 pinch Italian seasoning. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Let it simmer on medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Meanwhile, in a small jug, whisk the 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour with 1 cup Any milk until no visible lumps. Add the milk mixture to the pan and whisk to combine. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the 2 cups fresh baby spinach and stir until wilted. Then add the ½ cup parmesan cheese and mix again.
- Return the chicken to the pan and continue to cook it in the sauce for 8-10 minutes, or until fully cooked through.
- Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if you like, and serve warm!
Notes
- Cook the chicken until it is at least 165°F internally.
- Do not overcook the chicken, or else it will get too dry and rubbery.
- Add capers for additional flavor.
- Serve this chicken florentine recipe with gnocchi, pasta, or cauliflower rice.
- Chicken: I used chicken breast, but you may use boneless chicken thighs. Keep in mind, they will be higher in fat and calories. Don’t like chicken? Use shrimp or check out our Salmon Florentine recipe.
- Milk: It is better to use almond milk since it is keto-friendly and low in calories. But any other milk of choice will work.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use not only the almond milk but almond flour ?
If you want to use almond flour too you can.
I’m going to use unsweetened Oat milk because almond milk is horrible for the environment. It takes a gallon of water to grow one almond. They are considered a water-intensive crop. Oat milk is the least detrimental to our environment.
Thanks Sheryl. Didn’t know this. Oat milk will work too and if you like, use 2% milk if you do not have any dietary restrictions.
Been working on healthy type meals for the family, found this one online by searching “ fast chicken recipes “. Great flavor and quick to assemble for a week night meal. A recipe you can tweak to your taste. Will definitely be bookmarking and making this again.
Thanks Bob
My family of 6 enjoyed this dish, including our GF member. I appreciated the simple instructions and no crazy ingredients. I did deglaze my pan with a bit of white wine before adding broth and I finished the sauce with some lemon zest to brighten it up a bit. We would definitely make it again! Thank you!
Perfect. Thanks for the feedback Lisa
This recipe gets 5 stars on ease of making. I am all about tender chicken not dried out and this works as I do that to chicken often. It needs more spice to add flavor, put some smoked paprika on the chicken before searing and add some red pepper flakes to the sauce. The small amount of Italian seasoning gets lost in the spinach and garlic. Maybe this make s the recipe something other than florentine. I posted my picture on Instagram and served on cauliflower rice. Chef_Wunderbar. On Instagram
We have loved trying out recipes from healthyfitnessmeals.com lately, but we just couldn’t get on board with this one. I’m not sure if it was the dish itself or the edamame noodles I paired it with, but something just wasn’t working for me. My husband liked it more than me but suggested it be more seasoned.
This chicken florentine is so tender and savory! We made this the other night and loved it!
Super delicious!
Thank you Angela
I made this a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon this website. I have shared this with many of my fitness friends. This was delicious and easy to make. I am so happy I found your website as it is now my staple place to shop for recipes…thank you Rena!
That’s so sweet of you Karen. Thanks for introducing my recipes to your friends. So glad loved this recipe.