I’ve updated this recipe to make it more streamlined and even more delicious. Check out the updated recipe, and let me know what you think! I’ve also added new photos to this older post.
Who would have thought that the simple combination of spinach, chicken, and cream could create such a glorious dinner? Well, the Italians, obviously, because they are good at that kind of thing. I’m just baffled that it took me so long to realize it. I mean, I love spinach, I love chicken, and I am a sucker for anything in a cream sauce. How has this dish never graced my kitchen? And when can I have it again? It is truly a perfect combination of flavors and textures and all those other things that make food, you know, good. Er. Yes.
I saw the recipe in Giada’s Family Dinners about two weeks ago and it stuck in my head, floating around, taunting me. “You love spinach. You want to cook me!” But I’m a grad student, see, and I don’t have time to be at the beck and call of whatever recipes decide to tempt me. I had to eat frozen veggie burgers (don’t worry, I heat them up first) and macaroni and cheese and pre-made gnocchi from Trader Joe’s while this recipe enticed me and beckoned to my nonexistent free time. Well, finally last night I had some free time. And I only wish I’d made the time earlier, because this is one of my new favorites.
It’s not particularly difficult or time consuming, but it does require a lot of dishes and some dexterity with the timing. I was a little worried about my sauce, and feared I undercooked my pasta and definitely feared I undercooked my chicken, because I have problems with that. But I should not have worried because everything came together in the end in a medley of awesome. Yeah, I just said medley of awesome.
Chicken Florentine also has the benefit of making you feel both indulgent and virtuous. You’re eating spinach, so clearly, totally healthy. You’re eating spinach in rich, garlicky cream sauce. Um, very indulgent. In fact, I think it made me feel so indulgent that I decided to forget about my reading, polish off the bottle of sauvignon blanc I used in the sauce, and watch “All That Heaven Allows” instead. Apparently, I forgot I am a grad student and can’t be doing those things on Monday nights anymore.
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