There must be dozens of ways to prepare Chicken Florentine. I’ve seen it served several ways and have prepared it several different ways myself. In this post, I am sharing the two ways I most often prepare Chicken Florentine and I ask that you share your recipe, too. You can comment on this post or contact me with your recipe and instructions and I’ll post it as a guest blog. Don’t forget to send a photo, if you have one. If I post your recipe, I’ll send you a copy of my book, “Gravy Wars” for your efforts!
Lorraine’s Chicken Florentine
5-8 Chicken cutlets, sliced thin
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup Peccorino Romano cheese, finely grated
8-12 oz chopped spinach
1 egg
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon oregano, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup Chablis
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ – 1 cup Oil (vegetable or olive)
1 large Tomato, sliced (or two medium tomatoes)
Seasoned breadcrumb (optional)
In a large bowl combine the cheeses, spinach, egg, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Use a fork to gently mix the ingredients. Do not over mix.
Arrange tomato slices closely in a casserole dish and sprinkle each slice with salt, to taste. Broil the tomatoes for about five minutes in order to give them a sun-dried texture.
Place thinly sliced chicken cutlets on a cookie sheet and drop a dollop of cheese mixture on each. The cutlets need to be long and thin in order to wrap them completely around the cheese. If your cutlets are small and thick, try a butterfly cut to extend them. Another option is to create a pocket that can be stuffed. The idea is to fill the chicken with as much of the cheese mixture as possible without having it ooze out.
Heat the oil and garlic in a large skillet and lightly fry each chicken roll. Use tongs to turn the chicken, frying it evenly on all sides. Then use the tongs to remove the chicken from the skillet and place it atop the tomatoes in the casserole dish.
Option: For a heartier dish and to ensure that the cheese does not ooze from the chicken rolls, bread the chicken rolls before frying. Simply dip the entire roll into egg wash (egg and milk beaten together), and then coat it in seasoned breadcrumb before frying.
Arrange the chicken rolls over the tomatoes with presentation in mind. You may want to slice each in half before baking. Take the minced garlic from the skillet and sprinkle it on top of the chicken. Add white wine and lemon juice to the casserole dish, cover it, and bake it for 20-30 minutes or until the juices bubble.
Option: For a more attractive appearance, sprinkle additional shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken before baking.
Chicken Florentine Stretched with Penne Aglio Olio (Anna tri-color pasta pictured)
Lorraine’s Chicken Florentine, Stretched
Using the ingredients from the recipe above, you can serve this in a casserole with penne aglio olio. Doing so will not only stretch your meal, but also provide a “covered dish” option for the road. Here’s what to do:
- Make the aglio olio sauce (Page 50, “Gravy Wars“)
- Boil pasta a dente (penne or a similar short pasta recommended)
- Mix the pasta with the aglio olio sauce
- Cut the chicken into strips and sauté it in olive oil and garlic.
- Mix cheeses, spinach, egg, and seasonings, and then set aside
- Lay out your tomato as described above and top it first with the penne aglio olio, and then with the cheese/spinach mixture
- Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes
Mangia & Enjoy!
