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Or well, my version of Mom’s Chicken Florentine.
Because I couldn’t possibly NOT mess with a recipe.
Like I clearly do not know how to do that.
But I only made it easier, and added some polenta, other than that, all the ingredients and flavors are 100% the same!
Growing up, this was my favorite dish that my mom made. Granted my mom didn’t make a whole lot of dinners, desserts were more her thing, dinner was my dad’s. Anyway, Chicken Florentine was my mom’s specialty dish. She only made it every so often, but when she did, it was the best. Everyone loved it. Well, actually now that I think of it, my brothers never ate it, you know, the whole spinach thing, didn’t work for them. So I guess that really just leaves mom, dad and me. Ok, so the three of us loved it.
That works too.
The original recipe made you do all this extra work, like baking the chicken in the oven first, then making the cream sauce and then layering the chicken, spinach and sauce. Basically, it was three pans and too much work for such a simple dish.
So, what I did was sear the chicken in an oven safe skillet, make the sauce in the very same skillet and then add the chicken right back into the sauce. Then I stirred in the spinach and called it a day. This way only uses one pan and takes about twenty minutes. Then just bake it in the oven for another twenty or so minutes and done! Same awesome flavors, creamy-ness and taste, just um…simpler! Which I kind of love.
I don’t really remember my mom serving the Chicken Florentine over anything, but to me, there needs to be something there to soak up all the delicious cream sauce. Normally I just go for pasta, but then it’s kind of like fettuccine (but better), but then when I was out hiking (which always gets me thinking), the idea popped into my head to serve the Chicken Florentine over some creamy Italian polenta.
I feel like polenta is good with just about anything, so I went with it. AND I added some roasted garlic because of all the health benefits (right)…Duh.
And then that’s kind of it. Pretty simple, but so perfect for these cold winter days and even into spring when you get those rainy, cold days. Which if you ask me, well, I’d rather have the snow than rain.
My lucky younger brother is spending the next two weeks in Monmouth, CA for a snowboard competitions. He says it sunny and 50 degrees there. Can you say, livin’ the life? Ya, I think so.
Totally jealous.
Mom's Chicken Florentine with Creamy Roasted Garlic Polenta.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken tenders or breasts, about 4 breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 ounce containers frozen spinach, de-thawed + squeezed dry, 12
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1/3 cup parsley, chopped + more for serving
Roasted Garlic Polenta
- 1 head garlic
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup polenta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Place the cloves onto a piece of tin foil and pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top. Cover with the foil. Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool five minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of the paper skin into a bowl and mash well with a fork.
- Meanwhile, heat a large oven safe brasier or sided skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, once hot, add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and place on a plate. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- To the same pan, add the butter. Once melted add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute or until bubbly. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you add the milk. Stir in the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Place the egg yolk in a small bowl and whisk in about 1/3 cup of the warm milk mixture. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into cream sauce until smooth. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Add the chicken and thawed spinach to the sauce. Make sure the chicken is immersed in the sauce. Sprinkle the top of the dish with grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Place in the preheated 400 degree oven for 20-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
- While the florentine bakes, make the polenta. Pour the water and milk into a medium size saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is soft and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in as much of the mashed roasted garlic as desired, season with salt and pepper. If the polenta seems a little thick you can add a tablespoon more of butter or milk to thin it.
- When the florentine is done cooking, divide the polenta among plates and top each with a piece of chicken and cream sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan. Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Ok, but let’s be serious. That’s a dreamy plate of food right there.
Thanks for the great recipe
Your welcome (:
I made this and it was so good! Staple recipe for sure! I added a little garlic and onion powder to the sauce. I also used fresh spinach.
Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so thrilled you loved it Amanda! Thank you!!
This looks absolutely beautiful. I’d love to give it a try. I always want my life to be more polenta-filled.
So I’ve had this recipe hanging out on Safari on my phone since the day you posted it, just waiting to go to the grocery store and pick up some chicken. And just now I was browsing through Pinterest and saw that Emeril frickin Lagasse pinned your recipe! If that isn’t a sign that you are killin it hard and this recipe is top notch, nothing is 🙂 just wanted to give you the heads up!
What it does is leverage the wildly popular social media frenzy that’s sweeping the nation with sites like Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and more.
There’s going to be great food, Squatters, and a raffle of some amazing prizes that you don’t want
to miss out on. Your prospect must see you as someone that can lead them to financial
freedom.
I basically need to eat this ALL now! Thanks so much for making it simpler and not take a bajillion dishes! My husband also thanks you since he usually does the dishes.
Thanks Sophia! Hope you guys love it!
how come you decided to use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Thats just what my mom always used, feel free to use fresh spinach if you want! 🙂
I absolutely love creamy polenta, this is dinner perfection!
Nothing beats creamy polenta! 🙂
Thank you so much, Laura!
Love family recipes. This looks like such a winter warmer. The texture of that polenta as well….oh my!
Thank you so much! 🙂 Hope this warms you up this winter!!
Wow, this is a show stopper dish. Something a little out of the ordinary. I like it!
Thanks Carol! Hope you have a great week!
Honestly, never had polenta. One day, I will give this a try. Because you know, I love roasted garlic!
What?!? No way! You have to try polenta, it is amazing!!
I love polenta, but usually stick with a store-bought version. I can’t wait to try this out! Looks amazing!
Homemade is SO much better! 🙂
Thank you!
Comfort food at its finest!!
🙂 Right?!
Thanks Todd! Hope all is good!!
Chicken, polenta, spinach, roasted garlic . . . this looks like a perfect combination of a few of my favorite things. Planning on putting this on our meal plan next week 🙂
Thanks Alexa! Hope you love this!
I love that you made this so simple. Anytime a step can be skipped or a dish stay clean I’m a much happier person! This looks delish, Tieghan! Pinning!
Thanks Tina!
UGH!! So sorry Tori!! I was reading the wrong comment when I responded to yours by accident.
Thanks for all the kind words, Tori!