Chicken Florentine Pasta
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Dec. 30, 2023
Chicken Florentine Pasta is a truly tasty pasta dish is deliciously simple. Bonus: it’s packed with nutrition.
Chicken Florentine Pasta boasts players like chicken breast, garlic, spinach, and pesto. It’s one of our favorites when we aren’t enjoying this other Italian favorite, my best chicken piccata recipe. We love making easy homemade pesto, which tastes fresh and super delish. You’ll love making your own pesto, which also stores well in the fridge. I haven’t tried store bought pesto, but it’ll probably work in a pinch.
This Chicken Florentine pasta dish is light and perfect for keeping up all those healthy New Year resolutions. What this dish isn’t light on is flavor. It is absolutely savory and yummy. My family loves this pasta, and my 3 year old actually chomps away happily at the spinach! (Now, if I can get the older siblings to do the same.)
Serve up this pasta with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc, and you’ve got a fabulous dinner! Make it a delicious weeknight supper for the family or weekend dinner with guests. Either way, this Chicken Florentine Pasta is phenomenal. Enjoy!
Love pasta as much as we do? This Buffalo Chicken Pasta really packs some flavor and a bit of heat!
Chicken Florentine Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta, uncooked
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- olive oil, for cooking
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth, regular strength
- ¾ cups dry white wine
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup prepared pesto, store-bought or homemade
- ⅔ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of well-salted water. Cook penne until al dente. Drain, but don't rinse. Toss penne generously with olive oil to prevent sticking. Keep warm.
- Place cling wrap over each piece of chicken on a cutting board. Pound each piece evenly thin, about 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle each chicken piece lightly and evenly with kosher salt and pepper on both sides.
- Add enough olive oil to coat bottom of a large skillet. Heat oil on medium-high until hot. Brown 2 chicken breasts on both sides until chicken is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on how cold and thick the chicken is. Repeat with remaining pieces. Slice chicken breasts into strips and keep warm.
- Add chopped onion and garlic into a large skillet with 2 tablespoons oil. Sauté 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, wine, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil vigorously until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add spinach and sauté on medium-low heat, stirring often, just until spinach begins wilting. Don't overcook the spinach.
- Turn heat to low. Add cream and pesto, stirring until combined and warm, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- In a large serving bowl, toss cooked pasta with the spinach/pesto mixture to coat. Season with more kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in fresh parmesan, reserving some for garnish. Add chicken on top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Feel free to use any other shape of pasta in place of penne. Great substitutes include linguine, fettuccine, or bowtie pasta.
- Wine Pairing Note: This pasta dish is perfect with a crisp, light Sauvignon Blanc