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Chicken Florentine
Chicken Florentine has lightly fried chicken breasts smothered in a cheesy white Mornay sauce with spinach and shallots.
Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts (four 6-to-8-ounce breasts)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 quart whole milk, plus more as needed for a thinner sauce
10 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup shallots, sliced
12 ounces fresh baby spinach, any large stems removed
1/3 cup white wine
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded, plus more as needed for a thicker sauce
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts so that they are an even thickness (approximately 1/2″ thick).
- In a bowl or pie plate, mix one cup of flour with one teaspoon of salt and the black pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour on both sides.
- Heat whole milk in a saucepan but do not boil.
- In a large deep skillet, melt four tablespoons of butter over medium to medium low heat and cook chicken on both sides until internal temperature reaches 155 degree F., about 10-15 minutes. If you can not fit all four pieces in at once, cook in two batches with two tablespoons of butter each. Remove chicken to a platter and loosely cover with foil.
- Wipe pan out and heat two more tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, add shallots, and cook for three minutes.
- Add spinach to wilt, about two minutes, then add wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated, about 2-3 more minutes. Remove the shallot and spinach mixture to a bowl.
- Reheat the pan over medium heat and add the remaining four tablespoons of butter.
- Once melted, add the remaining quarter cup of flour, and cook and stir for three minutes.
- While whisking, add one ladle full of milk at a time to form the white sauce. It will start out very thick and continue to smooth out as you continue to add milk. Whisk vigorously as you add each ladle full.
- Add the Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese, the last teaspoon of kosher salt, the white pepper, mustard powder and nutmeg and whisk and cook until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce smooth. Do not let the mixture boil, keep the heat adjusted so that it is hot but not bubbling.
- Before adding the shallot and spinach mixture, this is your opportunity to make the sauce thicker or thinner per your taste. To make it thicker, add more Gruyere Swiss. To make it thinner, add more milk (Milk added at this stage does not need to be heated first)
- Once the sauce is where you like it, add the cooked spinach and shallot mixture and heat just to serving temperature.
- Pour the finished sauce over the chicken for serving. If the chicken has cooled down, you could nestle the pieces into the finished sauce to reheat, then serve.
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Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chicken-florentine/
