Last Updated on November 13, 2019 by Chef Mireille
Chicken Florentine Pasta – Classic Italian American food is a classic Italian dish that has long been one of my favorites, as a spinach lover. Like spinach and cream? You will love this pasta, easily made with leftover chicken.
Chicken Florentine Nostalgia
I modernized this dish with a quick and simple method, using leftover chicken. Leftover chicken breast or Rotisserie chicken from your favorite take out? This is a quick and delicious recipe you can utilize it with. You can even make it with canned chicken!
It’s funny how emotional food can be and how certain foods automatically make us recall specific memories. When I decided to do the theme this week of Italian sauces, this immediately went on my shortlist of ideas because it has long been one of my favorites and it’s a quick and easy recipe to make as many of you have kids at home this week or in the coming weeks for Spring Break or Passover holidays, depending where your kids go to school! Even if you are not Jewish as this recipe is NOT Kosher mixing dairy and meat, your kids may still be home.
As I was cooking the recipe, I started remembering how this was my go to dish when I used to frequent Pizzeria Uno. Pizzeria Uno is a NYC restaurant chain that serves Chicago style deep dish pizza and pasta dishes. When I was in college, we would often go there to celebrate post exams after we were finished and getting ready for our holidays! When I graduated college, it was still a fave with my friends and I. It was budget friendly as we were all in our first full time jobs and not making much $, so we could afford a pizza or pasta dish with a cocktail or a glass of wine without breaking our budget.
I started recalling friends who I no longer speak to for no reason other than the passage of time and as we take different paths in life, we often lose contact with old friends. College mates are often friends of convenience. You are in classes together, so after school you will go eat together or go to a movie together. However, the friendships don’t always go beyond that where once you are out of those surroundings, you no longer see those friends and the relationships get lost. Most of us only have a handful of true friends where regardless of circumstance or convenience, we check in with each other. During our lives, we will have many of these transient friendships of circumstance.
I read a quote once that I can’t recall exactly but something along the lines of some friends coming into our lives when we needed them and just as quietly disappearing when no longer needed and that God sends us these friends for a reason. It is not necessary to feel sad at the lost friendship, but instead we should just remember the time fondly.
Wow, this post got a lot more philosophical than I intended. But it just shows you what an important part food plays in all of our lives.
History
Although technically speaking this is a French dish, since it is named after an Italian city and most of us in America associate it with Italian cuisine, I am presenting it as part of my Italian theme.
Catherine de Medici of Florence married the French King Henry II in 1533. Spinach grew abundantly in her home city and it was her favorite vegetable. Legend has it that she insisted it be included in all of her meals. She traveled to France with an entourage of cooks and oodles of spinach. Now any dish created with spinach picks up the name a la Florentine, whether or not it actually comes from Florence.
Milk and dairy products are also used more abundantly in north Italian cuisines and so cream and spinach in the sauce becomes Florentine!
So do you like spinach as much as the famous queen? If so, try some of my other Spinach Dishes!
Spinach Recipes
- Spinach Harissa Hummus
- Rishta Palak – Kashmiri Lamb Meatballs in Spinach Sauce
- Double Spinach Ravioli
- Plantain Spinach Smoothie
- Spinach Multi Grain Semolina Bread
- Finnish Spinach Pancakes
- Palak Mangodi – Spinach with Sun Dried Lentils
- Apricot Spinach Salad
IN THE MAKING
You don’t have to use chicken. Once you have the creamy spinach sauce made, you can add anything you want to it!
This creamy pasta is so delicious and quick and easy to put together, especially if you already have leftover chicken about.
The perfect one pot meal!
Want to turn this into a #glutenfree meal – Simply replace with the many gluten free pasta options now available!
Chicken Florentine Pasta – Classic Italian American Food
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- 1 ½ cups diced cooked chicken
- 3 cups cooked pasta
- crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
- salt to taste
- finely chopped parsley garnish
Instructions
- In a saucepan, cook butter and flour until the butter is melted and raw flour taste is cooked out. This is called a roux. Cook the roux until it is golden brown.
- Add cream and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Add cheese and cook for 1 more minutes.
- Turn off heat and add spinach leaves. They will wilt in a few minutes.
- Add chicken, pasta and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine.
- Taste and add salt, if needed.
Nutrition
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The florentine dishes always taste good..I am sure adding chicken would be fantastic for the chicken lovers,
yep I love the spinach dishes a la Florentine also
Are you sure the quantity of butter is 2 cups??? That’s quite a lot, nonetheless the pasta with the the white sauce sounds too good to be missed… must try this for the girls next time I cook pasta, especially because it’s a nice way to sneak in the spinach too… hehe… totally agree on friendships, most of the time it is convenience… I am blessed with a handful of friends that have stuck to me despite the years…
No definitely not 2 cups thanks. I’ve updated it
Chicken and Spinach.. My kinda pasta.. Lovely share
thanks – yep makes the perfect one pot meal
Such a fantastic dish Mir, and reading your thoughts on friends, yes I have lost touch with many of my college friends..guess I can only call my blog friends as friends now..:)
This is so tempting….White pasta sauce and greens always go well together.
wow the Florentine pasta looks perfect.. The spinach added makes is look amazing.. Another wonderful write up there, well said about the friends of circumstance .. Agree we loose contact with friends , thanks to social media it atleast keeps us close to the old friends..
I guess all of us have friends whom we lost touch our the period of time due to various paths we took in life. We are spinach lovers and Florentine pasta is like our kind of meal!
Yes spinach is so versatile isn’t it
That is a such a delicious Italian sauce Mir. Looks so amazing.
So true that some friendships have a life long impression even though it probably lasted for only a brief period.
Thanks I’m sure you would love this creamy sauce
Cannot agree more on the truth about transient friendships and how much of a blessing those friendships ar. To sneak in the spinach in the white sauce is brilliant. Thanks for the idea.
White sauce looks divine with some greens inside. Love the beautiful pictures Mirelle.
thank you Sapana
Am sure my kids will definitely enjoy this chicken loaded pasta, anything with pasta is definitely my family favourite. Cant wait to prepare this ultimate dish.
Pasta looks perfect, chicken and spinach lovely combination
I agree that they always go well together
This pasta can be easily converted to vegetarian version and sounds delicious.
sure just omit the chicken
That’s a great looking pasta dish. The use of cream must impart a very creamy flavour to the whole dish
the perfect comfort food for sure, with the rich cream
I love how you research each and every dish you make. So interesting to read about friends. That is so true. And the dish looks so yum..
thanks yes – its funny the twists and turns life takes isnt it!
Pasta with spinach and white creamy sauce is my favourite. Love how you’ve added leftover chicken to the pasta dish. Feel like making a veggie version as I haven’t had it for a long time.
yes this is one of my favorite wintertime dishes
I love this chicken pasta salad with goodness of spinach dressed in a simple and creamy way. Looks itself is very tempting and inviting. Innovative idea must say.
this is actually a very classic dish in America. You should definitely try it out.