Chicken Florentine Pasta
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Chicken Florentine Pasta in a light creamy sauce is an easy 30-minute weeknight meal (it actually doesn’t have any cream in it at all!). In case you’re wondering what in the world “florentine” means: It’s a fancy name for foods that are served with spinach. But doesn’t the name take you to the patio of a bistro in Paris?
The spinach in this pasta is vibrant, healthy and tasty. Also, this method for cooking chicken produces some seriously tender chicken strips and it’s so easy because you don’t have to slice any raw chicken ?. You’ll wonder where this method has been all your life.
P.S. This chicken florentine pasta also reheats really well – creamy as ever!
Ingredients for Chicken Florentine Pasta:
8 oz linguine pasta, cooked to package instructions
2 small/medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil to sauté
1 bunch green onion, (1 cup chopped) (green and white parts)
1/2 lb button mushrooms (white or brown)
Ingredients for the Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
4 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Freshly grated parmesan to serve
How to Make Chicken Florentine Pasta:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions then drain and set aside (while pasta cooks, continue with step 2).
I love that this 6 Qt dutch oven is wide enough to fit the length of the pasta without bending noodles to squeeze them in. Enter to win this below!!
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large, deep pan over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Add chicken and sauté the first side until golden brown (5 minutes), flip, cover and sauté another 5 min or until done. Remove from pan and rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
3. In the same pan, add 1 Tbsp oil if needed along with sliced mushrooms and green onion. Sauté until soft and golden (5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan, add 2 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp flour and pressed garlic then whisk 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup chicken broth then 1 cup milk. Bring to a simmer and whisk until smooth and starting to turn creamy (2 min). Add spinach and stir until wilted (1 min). Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper or season to taste.
5. Add sliced chicken, sautéed mushrooms and drained pasta and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken Florentine Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chicken Florentine Pasta:
- 8 oz linguine pasta, cooked to package instructions
- Olive oil to sauté
- 2 small/medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 lb button mushrooms, white or brown
- 1 bunch green onion, (1 cup chopped) (green and white parts)
For the Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
- Freshly grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions then drain and set aside (while pasta cooks, continue on).
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large, deep pan over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Add chicken and sauté the first side until golden brown (5 min), flip, cover and sauté another 5 min or until cooked through. Remove from pan and rest 10 min before slicing against the grain.
- In the same pan, add 1 Tbsp oil if needed along with sliced mushrooms and green onion. Sauté until soft and golden (5 min). Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 2 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp flour and pressed garlic then whisk 2 min. Slowly whisk in 1 cup chicken broth then 1 cup milk. Bring to a simmer and whisk until smooth and creamy (2 min). Add spinach and stir until wilted (1 min). Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper or season to taste.
- Add sliced chicken, sautéed mushrooms and drained pasta and toss to combine. Season to taste if needed and serve with parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I put in the search: ‘chicken breast, spinach and pasta’ and got this easy delicious recipe! Why did I just discover it now!! I didn’t have linguini so I used fettuccine and used the cooking cream instead of milk but half a cup and it was great.
Thank you Natasha 🙂
Love it! Thanks for sharing, I’m glad that you’re really loved this recipe and that you chose to try it!
I put in the search: ‘chicken breast, spinach and pasta’ and got this easy delicious recipe! Why did I just discover it now!! I didn’t have linguini so I used fettuccine and used the cooking cream instead of milk but half a cup and it was great.
Thank you Natasha 🙂
Hi Dania! I’m so glad you found the recipe. Thank you for the feedback!
This is so delicious and easy to make. I’ve made this several times now. I add a little more mushrooms because we love it. Made my chicken broth from better than bouillon roasted chicken baste and used 1% milk( that’s what I had). Chicken tenderloins are also good with this(faster cook time). Making this for dinner tonight and the leftovers are so good the next day!
Thank you for sharing, Sarah! I’m so glad you love the recipe.
Yum! My husband can’t have gluten, so I used Jovial Tagliatelle and thickened the sauce with cornstarch (I mixed a couple of tablespoons with a little milk and stirred a little bit at a time into the sauce mixture until the thickness was just right). I really appreciated this cooking method for the chicken breasts, too. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Leah! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
I made this recipe last week for the first time. I substituted a few things to make it a bit healthier: butter with avocado oil, milk with soy milk, chicken broth with bone broth, and store-bought linguine with homemade wholewheat spaghetti.
It turned out great even without parmesan on top. Definitely I will be making more of it.
Thank you, Natasha.
That’s great, Alla! I’m so glad you loved it.
Can this be frozen in to portions and re cooked and can it re heated for a lunch if so how would I do that to keep it the same way
I have not tested it, but I think it could work.
Made it for dinner tonight and we will make it again. It was delicious!
That’s great, Barbara. So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Made this Saturday for dinner and my husband and I really enjoyed it. He had the leftovers last night and thought it tasted even better. I will be making your Shepherds Pie tonight.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Made this with homemade spinach pasta (had to use up a huge container of baby spinach), and it was delicious! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
You’re welcome, Sarah. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I would probably try to make this a little lighter by using fat-free evaporated milk or fat-free half & half. Gotta stick with the butter, though. looks & sounds yummy!!
Sounds good, please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment on that.
Hi, so I was planning on fixing this for dinner, but I was wondering if I could double the sauce because I’d be using more than 8oz of pasta, I’d use the entire box actually .
Thanks!
That would work too!
This is the best chicken Florentine pasta i had ever tasted!! It’s delicious! I was looking for a recipe and saw yours and the video and decided to try it. I’m so glad I did. I will also try other recipes of yours as well. Thanks Natasha.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This is the best chicken florentine pasta i had ever tasted! It’s delicious. i was looking for a recipe and saw yours and the video and decided to try it. I’m sure glad I did. I will be trying other recioes of yours, thanks Natasha.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Patsy! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This was delicious! I substituted almond milk for the regular milk, and it was fine (I’m sure it would have been richer with regular milk, though). Doubled the vegetables. Unfortunately, I had no parmesan here, but that would have made it sublime. Love your recipes!
Hello Jennifer, thanks for sharing that with us. I’m sure there are others who would like to try using almond milk. Thanks for the tip!
I used 4 oz of thoroughly drained frozen spinach instead of fresh, subbed the breasts for boneless skinless thighs and the pasta for angel hair, and chopped and skinned a whole eggplant to fry with the mushrooms and onion.
It couldn’t have been any better, absolutely delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, can I use something else to sub the milk?
Hi Ann, to be honest, I’ve never tried that substitution in pasta so I’m not sure how it would affect the consistency. I searched the comments and no one has reported trying that. If you experiment, let me know how it works out!
Natasha,
I was delighted 😀 with the chicken Florentine. It is light, balanced and delicious. I will be back for more recipes, thanks!
Chris
I’m so glad you loved it, Chris!
Love your recipes and videos ! Can this recipe be doubled ? Please advise if ok to do. Just double all ingredients or not ? Ty
Hi Deb, you sure can! Yes, you will double all ingredients.
Forgot to take a picture, food just disappeared from plates!
That’s so awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Aivars!
Loved the Florentine Chicken Pasta. Do you think it would work well to make it and freeze it in 4 pyrex containers? (Want to make and give it as a Valentine’s present.)
Hi Anne, to be honest I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
This sounds so delicious! I’m making it this weekend for a dinner party. Can I make ahead and then pop in the oven the next day?
Hi Rachael, I haven’t tested it that way to advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like it
Hello Natasha,
I am a huge fan of yours. Your recipes are SUPERB!
Your website is the BEST!
I would ask that you continue to show Nutritional Information! Put a disclaimer above or below it, but don’t discontinue including the information.
Your and Vadim’s Loyal Supporter,
Charles Perryman
Thank you Charles!
This is my first time seeing your blog and using one of your recipes. I cannot begin to describe how happy I am from trying this recipe! I made dinner for my family and they loved it!
I will be back!
Hi Amanda! Thank you for your kind compliment! I’m so happy you discovered our blog! Welcome!
HI Natasha .
My name is Nasrin . I’m Iranian and live in Vancouver – Canada
I always follow your site and love the food you give it.
Dear & beautiful Natasha ,I wish all the best for you and your family .
I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes Nasrin! Thanks for following!
This was my first chicken Florentine and I’m
Wow’d at the taste and simplicity of it. Thank you Natasha for such a scrumptious recipe 🙂
You’re welcome, I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe Mariana! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
This recipe is AMAZING!!!
One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever made.
Thank you for sharing
My pleasure Amy! I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe. Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
I loved the idea, but it’s definitely not a 30 minute meal! It makes very generous servings. If I make it again, I’ll halve it.
Hi Lynne, you can definitely cut this one in half if you prefer a smaller serving 🙂
Woooooow! can’t wait tomorrow for this recipe. Thanks Natasha
I can even find all ingredients here in Rwanda!!!
You’re welcome Germaine! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
Hello, I just wondering, how can I measure 4 cups of fresh baby spinach in grams? Thank you so much!
Hi Lina, I put the spinach in a large 4 cup measuring cup and lightly pack it in. You can also measure it as 4 handfuls of spinach.
Turned out fantastic! My man & 4 year old son loved this meal! Took longer than 30 minutes overall but will definitely make again!
I’m glad to hear that you and your little one enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing Megan!
Perfect! ☺ Thank you so much! ☺ keep up the awesome work!
Hi Natasha! I Love your blog. All of your recipes that I have tried are so delicious. I’m very confident cooking everything you post because I know that the flavors you put together taste so Amazing. I’m really happy that you post Russian/Ukrainian recipes in English. Makes my life easier ;). I’m looking for recipes that would freeze well. I don’t really like the idea of freezing meals but with our precious baby on the way, I know those frozen meals will be a life saver after delivery. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
The Chicken Florentine Pasta was Oh My So DELICIOUS! I would rate it 10 stars if I could.
You are so nice and thank you for that amazing compliment! 🙂 I am working on a freezer friendly section on my blog but haven’t gotten very far with categorizing. Here is what I have so far. I have had several readers report that my chicken and mushroom casserole is freezer friendly 🙂
“Florentine” refers to someone or something from the city of Florence- where the recipe originated. In culinary terms while it has come to generally refer to a dish that includes spinach, it is not French.
My husband (who does not eat spinach) and I went to wedding and one of the dishes served was a chicken florentine which he enjoyed so I thought I would attempt making. I found your recipe and it was absolutely delicious and easy to make. Guess who will eat spinach now! Well at least using this tasty recipe!. I also liked the fact that it did not require heavy cream. I was looking for healthy so I did not add pasta. Any idea of calories?
I’m so glad you both love the recipe! Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you CJ!
Delicious !!! Will definitely try again and will substitute other vegetables.
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing 😀
Huge hit with this amazingly delicious recipe. The sauce was just right!:-)
Awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!!
Can I use almond milk instead of whole milk?
Hi Kathy, to be honest, I’ve never tried that substitution in pasta so I’m not sure how it would affect the consistency. I searched the comments and no one has reported trying that. If you experiment, let me know how it works out! 🙂
I don’t make pasta dishes often, if this was used as a main dish what else could be served with it as a side?
Hi Jack, I would serve it with a fresh green salad or a vegetable side dish like asparagus or broccoli 🙂
Can you use canned mushroomsor eliminate and add more spinach? I don’t have a lot of experience cooking with mushroom
Hi! Would I be able to use 2% milk instead of whole?
Hi Irene, yes that would work 🙂
Hi Natasha. I was looking for a pork tenderloin recipe. Found your website and I have already printed four recipes to try as well as subscribed. Love this chicken florentine, however my son hates mushrooms. Can you suggest any other veggie to go with this recipe?
Hi Pat! I hope you love every recipe you try! 🙂 You could serve it with asparagus or broccoli, or even sweet peas would be nice 🙂
Hi Natasha ,
Quick question about the spinach , I froze spinach (after chopping it and then boiling it so that it becomes easier to add to things later ) can I use that ?
Hi Fatima, I would recommend fresh for this pasta. If you use frozen, it would add too much liquid to the pasta and water down the sauce unless you squeeze out the extra liquid but I do think it’s nice to use fresh spinach because the texture is nicer and the spinach doesn’t disappear into the sauce.
Thanks Natasha .
Loved it!!! Thank you Natasha for being my “go to” inspiration :-*
Oh awesome! Thanks Tanya 🙂
Looks very yummy :)) can I use a different kind of pasta? Like fusilli or penñe? Easier for little hands to handle … 🙂
Hi Nina, yes you could substitute with whatever pasta you prefer 🙂
I just want to say thank you so much,dish came out amazing my family loved it, your awesome!!!
Oh I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks Ronda! 🙂
Honestly, the sauce had a really strong flour taste, which was very distasteful. I wonder if I did something wrong, or if that is how it is supposed to taste. Otherwise, I do like and use a lot of recipes from this site. Thank you n blessings:)
B
Hi there 🙂 Did you make sure to stir 2 minutes after adding the flour? Anytime you use flour as a thickener for sauce, you need to make sure you saute it for a little bit otherwise you will be able to taste it. I hope that helps!
Love all the recipies that I tried, and I tried quite a bit, they made me think out of my comfort zone. Thank you for doable recipies and deliciousness too. Continue doing such a great job and God bless you. I hope you let me get my hands on this beautiful piece IN my kitchen. Hope to win
Diana, I’m so happy to hear that my blog is a blessing to your family. Thank you so much for sharing that with me 😀.
Love the recipe, I ran out of milk so I used evaporated milk. Entered the giveaway too, hope I win, am using a friend’s pots and pans to cook for my family, recently moved in the country.
Thanks for sharing that and for entering! 🙂
I love making your beef stroganoff in a dutch oven and that will be the first thing I make if I win this.
Hi Natasha, just started following you and so excited to try your recipes! I can’t eat spinach and was just wondering if you’ve tried any other veggie or have any suggestions for a substitution?
Hi Mel, you could just leave it out or add some steamed broccoli or sautéed asparagus. I hope you enjoy it!
I’m the only one in the house that likes spinach, so I substituted with chopped broccoli and it worked just fine. I know that not florentine, but, hey, it’s green.
I’m glad to hear that it worked with broccoli 😀.
I would make some New England calm chowder in mine if I won!
This recipe is so yummo!! I made it and my family loved it.They are begging for more.It has been so fun coming here to your blog.
Wanda, thank you for such a nice review, I’m glad your family loved it 😀.
My children devoured it and asking to make again. I guess it’s a success! 😉 Thank you so much for the recipe.
Mariana you are on a roll cooking! I’m so happy to hear they liked it 🙂 That’s the best!
I entered previously but changed my social media Pinterest to Tracie Michelle Cooper and my email is traciemichelle0515@gmail.com
Got it thanks! 🙂
Just stumbled upon your blog and tried this recipe. Subbed the chicken breasts for leftover roast chicken from the day before and added garlic salt for more flavour. Really delish!
I’m so glad you liked it and welcome to my blog! 🙂
I had no idea that Florentine simply means that it contains spinach – I’ll have to look for that on menus!
This dish looks lovely and very easy – so cool that you got that lovely cookware! 🙂
I was so happy to upgrade to these pots and pans. My wrists are so happy since my old set was sooo heavy!
Yummmmmzzzzzz…making this tomorrow! Can’t wait! Looks so good and sounds so fancy! I love that I won’t have to really deal with the raw meat. I always hate doing that part, so I’m excited to omit it hehe.
My husband is the same way. I don’t mind it too much but I like it better when I don’t have to! 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Just made this today… very yummy!!! Thanks for the recipe! :)) I didn’t have the greens, but just omitted them)) will be making again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
Thanks Natasha! I am always looking for fast and good homemade food .This is just perfect. We love chicken and mushrooms . Great combination!
You’re so welcome. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
It’s something of a coincidence that you should post this recipe today, because, just this morning, an Italian friend asked me for a chicken florentine recipe. She said the unforgettable rendition she had was made with chardonnay, but she just couldn’t replicate that flavor. Yours doesn’t need any wine, at all. I can’t wait to make it.
Adding a splash of chardonnay with the mushrooms sounds like a good idea. I think I’ll try that next time!
This looks so yummy! cant wait to try it out! thank you for the recipe.
Thanks Vicky! 🙂