Chicken Florentine

By mariannefeldman

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/4679-chicken-florentine?extcode=NSFBE16ZZ

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 (6-ounce) bags baby spinach
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

Preparation

Step 1

Chicken Florentine
From Cook's Country | April​/May 2009
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To avoid a watery Chicken Florentine, we drained excess liquid from the cooked spinach by pressing the leaves with the back of a spoon in a colander. For flavor, we seared the chicken breasts first and then poached them in the sauce before broiling. For the sauce, we added cream for silkiness and chicken broth to build volume, which we cut with an equal amount of water to reduce saltiness. We also added a squeeze of lemon juice and a hit of zest for brightness, along with Parmesan cheese for its nutty, salty punch.

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SERVES 4 TO 6

We like tender, quick-cooking bagged baby spinach here; if using curly-leaf spinach, chop it before cooking.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. COOK SPINACH Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to colander set over bowl and press with spoon to release excess liquid. Discard liquid.

2. BROWN CHICKEN Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Wipe out pan and heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add shallot and garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, water, and cream and bring to boil.

3. MAKE SAUCE Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes; transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil. Continue to simmer sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 4 tablespoons Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

4. BROIL Cut chicken crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices and arrange on broiler-safe platter. Scatter spinach over chicken and pour sauce over spinach. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and broil until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

DRAINING SPINACH
As it cooks, spinach releases a lot of moisture, which can make dishes like our Chicken Florentine watery. To prevent that, we transferred the spinach to a colander and pressed the leaves with a spoon to force the liquid out. We drained nearly 1/4 cup of liquid from the 12 ounces of spinach used in this recipe.


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