One Pot Italian Florentine Chicken Pasta is a seriously easy 30 minute meal that comes together into the most creamy, delicious pasta dinner your family will love!
Try these other awesome one pot pastas: 20 Minute Taco Pasta, One Pot Philly Steak Pasta and Supreme Pizza One Pot Pasta.
One Pot Italian Chicken Pasta
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In my recent survey, one of the things you guys have been asking for is more one pot meals. I'm more than happy to oblige, especially because we also lead a super busy life with kids and work and activities. And I'm convinced that dinner should totally be simple but still totally delicious.
Chicken penne pasta is always a winning idea in our home. But I like to elevate it a bit with a rich sundried tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, tender chicken and a creamy sauce that will bring everyone back for seconds! I really love that this is a quick meal (ready in under 30 minutes!) but still feels extra special. You will wow your family with this!
Tips for making Chicken Florentine Pasta
- Once you've started browning the chicken, know that the chunks won't be cooked through as you move on to the other steps. This is ok because they will continue cooking and end up perfectly cooked and tender.
- There will be a lot of liquid but that's good because the pasta will absorb a good amount of it, while still having a creamy sauce when the pasta is done.
- You'll start the heat at medium high and then after the first time stirring you'll reduce it to medium or a bit below medium depending on your stove. The higher heat at the beginning will also help cook the pasta to a perfect al dente.
- To prevent the pasta from sticking, you'll want to use a timer and stir it every 5 minutes while it's covered and cooking.
- This is super tasty topped with a little Romano cheese and crushed red pepper if you want a little kick.
Ingredient information for One Pot Pasta Florentine
- Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breast. Try to cut the chicken into uniform size chunks for even cooking. Mine were around an inch in size.
- Pasta: Penne pasta is my favorite for this recipe, but other pastas around the same size will also work, just keep an eye on the cooking time as it could vary.
- Spinach: I prefer fresh baby spinach for this recipe but if frozen is all that's available then a 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach package will work. Be sure to thaw it first and squeeze as much water out as possible.
- Sundried tomatoes: I prefer to purchase my sundried tomatoes already julienned and then roughly chop them down a bit. If you'd rather keep them in the larger julienned chunks, that's fine too- it's all about personal preference.
What makes this pasta Florentine?
Technically, it's a dish served on a bed of butter spinach. More specifically with a Mornay sauce (a béchamel sauce with gruyere cheese). Many Americans hear Florentine and immediately think of spinach and with that in mind, I strayed from the specifics of the original recipe and added my own twist. So my recipe is more loosely "inspired" by by Florentine pasta with the spinach and the creamy sauce without going full out with the technicalities.
Is chicken pasta Italian?
While I'm sure not all chicken pasta's are considered authentic "Italian" this particular recipe has a very Italian flavor profile.
Can I use sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil (instead of dry ones)?
Yes, but if you use the ones in oil, reduce the olive oil at the start to 1 tablespoon instead of 2.
What goes well with this?
A few great recipes to round out and complete this meal would be:
- Homemade 3 Cheese Garlic Bread
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
- Clementine and Pasta Salad
- Lemon Pistachio Cake
Leftovers and reheating:
This will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator. That said it's best served right away as the sauce tends to coagulate a but once cooled.
How do you reheat creamy chicken pasta? While the microwave will do the job, the best way would be in a saute pan over medium heat. For optimal results, add a little heavy cream or chicken broth to get the sauce to a nice, creamy consistency once again.
Ingredients to prep ahead:
- Cut chicken
- Chop sundried tomatoes
- Clean baby spinach
- Peel garlic
Helpful tools:
One Pot Italian Florentine Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (reduce by 1 tablespoon if you use sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into uniform 1 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used ones without oil but see the note above if yours come packed in oil)
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups uncooked penne pasta
- Romano cheese for sprinkling
- Crushed red pepper flakes for sprinkling (optional)
- 2 gently packed cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often until chicken is just browned (it won't be cooked through at this point).
- Add minced garlic and sundried tomatoes. Saute stirring often for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Sprinkle with flour and stir until no lumps remain.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream, water, the other ½ teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning and penne pasta to the pan and stir.
- Bring the liquid to a boil are around 2 minutes. Give the pasta one last stir and cover.
- Cook for 5 minutes and remove the cover. Stir the pasta so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Return the cover to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for 5 minutes and remove the cover. Add the spinach into the pan and stir the pasta so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Return the cover to the pan.
- Cook for 5 more minutes and remove the cover. Give it one last stir and serve immediately with a sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan cheese (and crushed red pepper flakes if you want a spicy kick).
Notes
- If you use sundried tomatoes packed in oil, reduce the olive oil in this recipe at the start to 1 tablespoon instead of 2.
- If using frozen spinach, use a 10 ounce chopped spinach package from the freezer section, thaw completely and squeeze out as much water as possible.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @thelifejolie so I can share it <3
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Jessie Spencer says
Jessy Freimann says