Chicken Florentine Creamy Spinach (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

→ Dredge Mixture

02 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
03 - 30 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 teaspoons Italian blend herbs
05 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
06 - 1 teaspoon table salt
07 - 125 ml all-purpose flour

→ Cooking Fats

08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
09 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

→ Florentine Sauce

10 - Fresh parsley, finely chopped for topping
11 - 0.5 fresh lemon or about 22 ml lemon juice, optional
12 - 90 g baby spinach (roughly 3 cups)
13 - 75 g cream cheese, room temp
14 - 240 ml half and half cream
15 - 375 ml dry white wine or chicken stock
16 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

# Instructions:

01 - Drop the cooked chicken and all those juices back in the pan. Put the lid on so everything stays hot. Toss on some parsley and enjoy right away. Goes great with pasta, rice, or a crisp salad.
02 - Stir in the soft cream cheese until it melts and you’ve got a creamy sauce. Drop in the spinach and keep cooking until it wilts all the way. If you want some zing, splash in lemon juice at the end.
03 - Warm the half and half for about 40 seconds in the microwave—this helps it mix better. Pour it in slowly, bit by bit, while you stir. Let things bubble gently then turn the heat down.
04 - Turn off the heat, pour in your wine or broth, then bring the heat back up. Use your spatula to scrape up all those brown bits from the bottom. Let it cook down by half, which takes about 6–7 minutes. Toss in the garlic right at the end of this step.
05 - Melt the butter and heat olive oil together in a big skillet over medium-high. Pop the chicken in, cover, and sear each side for 4 or 5 minutes until browned and cooked through. You might need to do this in rounds so you don't crowd them. Move chicken to a plate when done.
06 - Toss flour, salt, pepper, Italian herbs, Parmesan, and garlic powder together in a wide bowl. Coat your chicken on all sides and tap off the extra.
07 - Lay plastic wrap over each piece of chicken and use a mallet to smack them until they're no more than about 1.25 cm thick. Dry them off with kitchen paper.

# Notes:

01 - You don’t have to use fresh spinach—just squeeze out thawed frozen spinach well. Want it hearty? Add capers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes.
02 - For juicy, evenly cooked results, let chicken warm up on the counter while you get everything else ready. Thin breasts cook faster and more evenly.
03 - When you toss the chicken in the pan, leave it alone to sear so a nice crust forms. It’ll release by itself once it’s ready to flip.
04 - Using both olive oil and butter gives the best taste without burning the chicken.
05 - Cut the cream cheese if you want a lighter meal—it just won’t be as creamy.

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