Chicken and Pasta Florentine is a seriously easy 30 minute meal that comes together into the most creamy, delicious pasta dinner your family will love! With spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, it's a one pot sensation that will satisfy every taste bud!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love Pasta Florentine
I believe that dinner should totally be simple but still totally delicious, and one pot pastas often deliver in this way! Chicken penne pasta is always a winning idea in our home. But I like to elevate it a bit with rich sun-dried tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, tender chicken, and a creamy sauce that will bring everyone back for seconds! I really love that this chicken florentine pasta is a quick meal that still feels extra special.
Here are a few more reasons to love this recipe:
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Everything cooks in one pot
- Perfect for busy weeknights
- Complete meal with meat and veggies
- Easy to customize
PS- If you want another great option for a one pot pasta, try this 30 Minute Taco Pasta.
Ingredients Information and Substitutions
- Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breast, but tenders are a great substitute. Try to cut the chicken into uniform-sized chunks for even cooking. Mine were around an inch in size.
- Pasta: Penne pasta is my favorite for this pasta Florentine recipe, but other pasta shapes around the same size can be used — think rotini or cavatappi. Just keep an eye on the cooking time as it could vary.
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach provides the best texture for chicken Florentine pasta, in my opinion. If frozen is all that's available, then a 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach will work. Be sure to thaw it first and squeeze as much water out as possible.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes: I prefer the dry variety, but if you use the ones in oil, reduce the olive oil at the start to 1 tablespoon instead of 2. I also like to purchase my sun-dried tomatoes chopped, but if pre-chopped aren't available, 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.
- Sauce: The liquid components of this sauce include chicken broth, heavy cream and water. A bit of flour is used to thicken it. Minced garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning bring big flavors!
How To Make Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
Step 1: Cook Chicken
Heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to a large non-stick pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook just until the chicken is browned, stirring often. Stir in minced garlic and sundried tomatoes, cooking until fragrant.
Step 2: Add flour and then liquids
Sprinkle flour over everything and stir until lump-free. Add chicken broth, cream, water, seasonings, and pasta and give everything a good stir.
Step 3: Cook to al dente
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir halfway through so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
Step 4: Add spinach
Remove the lid and stir in the spinach, then cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Give it one last stir, checking that everything is cooked and the spinach is wilted. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, Florentine is 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. So with that in mind, I strayed from the specifics of a traditional Florentine recipe and added my own twist. My chicken spinach pasta recipe is more loosely "inspired" by Florentine pasta with the spinach and Florentine sauce — without going full out with the technicalities.
You can certainly prep the ingredients in advance! Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and chop the su-dried tomatoes. Clean the spinach leaves (rinse and spin or pat dry), then peel the garlic. Store everything in separate containers in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook your chicken Florentine pasta!
Leftovers will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator. That said, this this is is best served right away as the sauce tends to coagulate a bit once cooled.
While the microwave will do the job, the best way would be in a sauté 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.
Tips For Making Chicken Spinach Pasta
- Cut the chicken pieces to uniform size for even cooking. I aim for around 1 inch chunks.
- It's ok if the chicken isn't cooked through at the beginning. Simply brown as directed, then move on to the other steps. It will continue cooking with the pasta.
- There will be a lot of liquid at first, but that's good! The pasta will absorb a good amount of it while still having enough for a creamy sauce when the pasta is done.
- Adjust the heat as you go. You'll start at medium-high, then reduce it to medium (or a bit below, depending on your stove) after the first time stirring. The higher heat at the beginning will also help cook the Florentine pasta to a perfect al dente.
- Prevent the pasta from sticking. Use a timer and stir it every 5 minutes while it's covered and cooking.
- Top with a little Romano cheese, plus some crushed red pepper if you want a little kick.
- Prep these ingredients ahead- Cut the chicken, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, wash and dry the spinach and peel the garlic.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftovers will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
What To Serve With Italian Chicken Pasta
A few great recipes to round out this creamy Italian chicken pasta would be:
- Homemade 3 Cheese Garlic Bread
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
- Clementine and Fennel Salad
- Lemon Pistachio Cake
Other One Pot Pasta Recipes To Try...
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
One Pot Chicken and Pasta Florentine
Equipment
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
- 2 gently packed cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- Romano cheese for sprinkling
- Crushed red pepper flakes for sprinkling (optional)
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).
Video
Notes
-
- Cut the chicken pieces to uniform size for even cooking. I aim for around 1 inch chunks.
- It's ok if the chicken isn't cooked through at the beginning. Simply brown as directed, then move on to the other steps. It will continue cooking with the pasta.
- There will be a lot of liquid at first, but that's good! The pasta will absorb a good amount of it while still having enough for a creamy sauce when the pasta is done.
- Adjust the heat as you go. You'll start at medium-high, then reduce it to medium (or a bit below, depending on your stove) after the first time stirring. The higher heat at the beginning will also help cook the Florentine pasta to a perfect al dente.
- Prevent the pasta from sticking. Use a timer and stir it every 5 minutes while it's covered and cooking.
- Top with a little Romano cheese, plus some crushed red pepper if you want a little kick.
- Prep these ingredients ahead- Cut the chicken, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, wash and dry the spinach and peel the garlic.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftovers will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
Jessie Spencer says
Jessy Freimann says
Nikki says
Jennifer Lafferty says
Eric Moseman says
Eric Moseman says