Chicken Florentina

Did you ever go to your local pizza place and look at their menu? Many places serve a lot more than just pizza. They have so many wonderful sounding chicken, veal, pasta and seafood (if you like that kind of thing!) dishes, yet I rarely try anything else on the menu. If I want pizza, I get pizza.



On my last trip to my local pizza place, I was perusing their menu while waiting for my order when I noticed this one menu item called Chicken or Veal Florentina. It was described as "tender slices sauteed in white wine, topped with fresh tomato, spinach & mozzarella in a light red sauce". Mmmm....sounds good to me, I better get to work!

How can you go wrong with tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella and white wine? You can't! This Chicken Florentina was so delectable and tender the chicken just melted in your mouth. I opted not to use the "in a light red sauce" option as I thought the white wine would create enough of a mouthwatering sauce on it's own and it surely did. If you're looking for a shortcut during the weeknight, use chicken tenderloins and pound them evenly with a meat mallet before dredging in the flour. You can also prepare the entire dish, including assembling the chicken; then cover, refrigerate and bake the next evening. If you also notice, this recipe is enough to feed ten people. I like to make extra with these kind of recipes so that there is enough left over for lunches and dinner for another night. ~Enjoy!


Chicken Florentina
Prep Time: 30 minutes   Cook Time: 30 minutes   Serves: 10

Ingredients
2 lbs. Boneless Chicken Breasts, sliced horizontally 1/2" thin
3/4 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp. Butter
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 c. White Wine*
2 Plum Tomatoes, 1/2" thick slices
2 c. Fresh Baby Spinach, rinsed and stems removed
8oz. Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Add the flour to a medium bowl; then dredge each piece of chicken in the flour placing each one on a dish until completed. 
3. Heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan; then add the chicken. This may have to be done in batches. Fry on both sides until the chicken is white in color and cooked through. When done, place the chicken in a large, oven safe baking dish (mine was a 13"x9"). 
4. When all the chicken has been removed from the pan, whisk in the white wine and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. It will thicken slightly. Pour the white wine mixture over the chicken. 
5. Assemble the chicken by placing two slices of tomato on each chicken breast; then top with spinach leaves and shredded mozzarella. 
6. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

*If you prefer not to cook with wine, you can substitute chicken broth. 

Nutrition Facts (not including the crackers or bread)

Calories 271, Carbs 9.8g, Fat 11.9g, Protein 27.1g, Fiber .6g, Sugar 1.7g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate.