Chicken Florentine
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces baby spinach
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1⁄2 pounds
Salt and pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1⁄4 cups chicken broth
1 1⁄4 cups water
1 cup half and half
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to colander set over bowl or sink and press with spoon to release excess liquid. Discard liquid.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Wipe out pan and heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add shallot and garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, water, and half and half and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken; transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil. Continue to simmer sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 15-25 minutes. Off heat, sitr in 4 tablespoons Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice. (Reducing the sauce took me about 30 minutes, so plan accordingly.)
4. Cut chicken crosswise into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices and arrange on broiler-safe platter or dish. Scatter spinach over chicken and pour sauce over spinach. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and broil until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.
Comments
This recipe is from my cookbook of the week, Cook’s County 2009 Annual. Lance and I both thought it was delicious! I served it with linguini fini and that pairing worked well. The recipe did take longer than I expected, it seemed like every step of the recipe took a bit longer than the original recipe said that it would. I also swapped out the heavy cream for half and half. This was scrumptious and I’ll certainly be making it again in the future.
Cook’s Country 2009