Description
Creamy Chicken Florentine Pasta is a delicious and comforting dish featuring tender chicken cooked with garlic and Italian seasoning, combined with linguine pasta in a rich and creamy sauce made from chicken broth, white wine, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, and fresh spinach. Finished with a touch of lemon juice and topped with Parmesan cheese, this meal is perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For Chicken:
- 1 pound / 453 g chicken tenders, or chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For Sauce:
- 8 oz / 227 g linguine pasta, or other shape as desired
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup diced)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups / 300 g chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup / 75 g heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste
- 6 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Lay chicken tenders out on a plate and pat dry. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle half the spice mixture evenly over chicken tenders, flip, and season with the remaining half.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter; when butter is melted and sizzling, arrange chicken tenders in a single layer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until bottom is browned, then flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature 160°F). Transfer chicken to cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 1 minute less than package instructions (e.g. 9 minutes for linguine if package says 10), so pasta finishes cooking in the sauce.
- Make Sauce Base: Return the skillet used for chicken to medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Thicken Sauce: Stir in flour until no dry bits remain. Add white wine and whisk until mostly evaporated. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, a splash at a time, until smooth and incorporated. Whisk in Dijon mustard.
- Simmer Sauce: Continue whisking over medium heat until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Drain pasta with a slotted spoon or colander and add directly to the sauce in the skillet, reserving about 1 cup pasta water. Add spinach and gently fold to coat pasta with sauce; let it cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes until sauce thickens and spinach wilts. Add reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce.
- Add Chicken and Serve: Fold in the cooked chicken until warmed through. Spoon pasta into serving bowls, top with shaved Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cooking pasta slightly under done ensures it finishes cooking in the sauce and absorbs flavors.
- Adjust red pepper flakes to taste for desired level of spiciness.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth to better control saltiness of the sauce.
- White wine can be substituted with additional chicken broth if preferred.
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency as needed.
- Ensure chicken is cooked to safe internal temperature (160°F) for best safety and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/4 recipe)
- Calories: 570 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
