VIVA ITALIA
Top tender chicken with sautéed spinach and cream sauce
Chicken Florentine is a buffetline favourite featuring chicken breast and spinach in a mild cream-and-Parmesan sauce — sometimes stuffed inside, sometimes stacked on top.
All of these components are good, but this dish can often be stodgy (think old-fashioned casserole) or fussy (involving dredging chicken in flour and sautéing) .We wanted a simplified recipe for an elegant dish with clearer, brighter flavours.
Braising was the perfect technique to achieve this: for flavour, we seared the chicken breasts first, cooked aromatics and added our cooking liquid (a balanced mix of water and chicken broth enriched with a modest amount of cream), and then simmered the chicken in the reducing sauce until perfectly cooked.
After we topped the chicken with some sautéed spinach and the cream sauce, it needed just a quick run under the broiler.
Chicken Florentine
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 12 ounces (12 cups) baby spinach
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed Salt and pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1⁄4 cups chicken broth
1 1⁄4 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tsp juice
Start to finish: 45 minutes Adjust oven rack to uppermiddle position and heat broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, one to two minutes. Transfer spinach to colander set over bowl and press with spoon to release excess liquid; discard liquid.
Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Wipe out pan with paper towels and heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh heat until just smoking. Cook chicken on both sides until golden, about four minutes. Add shallot and garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, water and cream; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes; transfer chicken to large plate and tent with aluminum foil. Continue to simmer sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and lemon zest and juice.
Cut breasts crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on broiler-safe platter. Scatter spinach over chicken and pour sauce over spinach. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan and broil until golden brown, three to five minutes. Serve.
Per serving: 334 calories (62 per cent from fat); 23 grams fat (11 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 128 milligrams cholesterol; 400 mg sodium; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g fibre; 1 g sugar; 25 g protein.