Erika Wassall, the Jersey Farm Scribe here with an amazing casserole dish you won’t believe. Why won’t you believe it you ask? It’s too amazing to be this simple. We’re talking restaurant quality flavor here folks. This Chicken Florentine Casserole recipe is great for a simple family dinner or even to feed a big crowd!
How To Make Chicken Florentine Casserole:
First of all, let’s start with the chicken. Because here’s the kicker, this part doesn’t really matter. You just need… chicken. And really, it’s FAR from the star of the show, so how much and where you get it from doesn’t matter all that much. I suggest using pulled chicken from my Roasted Chicken Legs recipe. That’s what I did but you could also use a rotisserie chicken from the store for ease. Now, put the chicken aside, because again, it’s not the star.
What is Florentine Sauce Made Of?
The star of this dish is the amazing combination of a quick homemade sauce with spinach and tomatoes. You’re going to love this creamy white sauce.
Take a pan, throw a whole stick of butter in there. Yes, the whole thing. Or, you could do what I did, throw half a stick in, and then keep saying “well, just one more little bit” until the whole thing was gone. This recipe will feed a lot of people, so it’s not really that bad.
Toss in a bit of milk. And your chicken stock. See? We lightened it up that way. So now you can feel better, and go ahead with that entire stick of butter.
Let that all simmer together while you slice up a pint of cherry tomatoes. You can use whatever kind of tomatoes you like, I had cherry on hand and it was great. But no question, in mid summer when I have tomatoes from the garden, I would use whatever was fresh, and warm from the sun.
Toss in some garlic salt, rosemary (or substitute Italian seasoning) , more garlic, black pepper, grated parmesan cheese and the cherry tomatoes. More simmering.
Now, get two packages of creamed spinach. I used frozen but canned would work fine too. If they’re frozen, pop them in the microwave just for a minute or two to soften them up and toss them in the pan.
More simmering for this spinach mixture.
Your amazing Florentine sauce is good to go now. Taste it. Now remind yourself that you can’t eat it all with a spoon because it’s for dinner. (But again, it makes a lot so go ahead and nip a little here and there.
Boil the water for pasta. Any pasta will work. I actually would normally not have used spaghetti, but it was all I had. And you know what… now I will use it again. The long noodles were an amazing match up. But don’t stress it. Use whatever is in the cabinet.
When the noodles have about 4 minutes left, toss the shredded chicken in the sauce pan and stir it into the sauce… which is still simmering. You don’t want the chicken to cook too much and get tough. It’s already cooked remember, so you’re just warming it up.
Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake
Drain the pasta and then mix it all together in a big (seriously guys, it has to be pretty big) casserole dish.
Top with mozzarella cheese. Yes, you can technically skip this. It will still work. But this step has two positives.
One… you can do everything up to this point, cover the casserole dish and wait until you’re ready to eat (a great plus if you have company over or a crazy evening schedule!).
Two… mozzarella cheese is great melted on top of just about anything. And it will give this chicken Florentine casserole recipe an even more beautiful presentation on the table.
The mozzarella topping helps this Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake come out beautifully browned cheese on top… like this:
You don’t need much. We’re not covering it so much that you can’t see the beauty beneath it. Just a light sprinkle. Then pop it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. Now you are done! So as you can see the oven part gives it a lovely browned mozzarella top which I don’t want to miss!
Some people like to bake this casserole in a 350 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes to help it come together and warm up but I say, it is always warm and perfectly delicious! So I go straight to the broiling of the cheese.
This chicken Florentine recipe is seriously amazing. It looks like it came from a professional chef’s oven, it’s easy, could feed a small army (6 people, easy, maybe add some bread on the side) and it has an unbelievable flavor. You can top it off with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you like a little added heat.
Try this chicken florentine casserole recipe any weeknight, because it’s simple and quick, or on a Sunday night for a crowd-pleasing family dinner. I bet you’ll get asked to make it again!
What’s A Good Side Dish For Chicken Florentine?
You don’t need a side dish! That is the beauty of the Chicken Florentine Casserole, it is all mixed together into one glorious casserole dish of yumminess. It has carbs, protein, and veggies. Done! Although, you can definitely serve some nice crusty Italian bread or homemade Focaccia with it if you really want to impress.
Printable Chicken Florentine Casserole Recipe Card
Delicious Chicken Florentine Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 lb pasta (any type)
- 8 TBS butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 packages of creamed spinach
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 TBS rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon diced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter with milk in a pan over medium heat.
- Add cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, rosemary, garlic, salt, garlic, creamed spinach. Mix and simmer 10 minutes.
- Cook pasta.
- Add chicken into the sauce pan during the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking.
- Drain pasta, and combine with chicken and sauce mixture in a large casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and put under broiler for 3-5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts
Delicious Chicken Florentine Casserole Recipe
Serves: 6
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 711.01 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 32.0 g | 49.2% | |
| Saturated Fat 17.96 g | 85% | |
| Trans Fat 0.62 g | ||
| Cholesterol 115.3 mg | 38.3% | |
| Sodium 567.62 mg | 23.6% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 68.69 g | 22.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 5.36 g | 20% | |
| Sugars 7.68 g | ||
| Protein 37.59 g | ||
| Vitamin A 77.82 % | Vitamin C 38.85 % | |
| Calcium 43.73 % | Iron 25.83 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Family Focus Blog
Chicken Florentine Bake Conclusion
Easy peasy! This is a great recipe for a weeknight dinner with so little prep time. Now, serve the Chicken Florentine Casserole. Eat. Amaze your friends! Have you tried cooking Chicken Florentine before? Do you think you will try this simple casserole recipe?
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Lisa Kerr says
This so good I cant wait to try it!! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
Erika Wassall - Jersey Farm Scribe says
Thanks for stopping by Lisa. Glad it caught your eye— and stomach’s attention. Let me know how it goes when you make it!
I had this for three dinners in a row (and a lunch). And wasn’t at ALL tired of it. In fact, I was still a bit sad when it was all gone!
Nikki Minors says
Thanks for sharing this great dinner solution. I made it for yesterday and my whole family loved it!
Goodness Remedy says
I love that cheesy sauce.
Thanks for the recipe!
linda moore says
This really sounds amazing! I will try this for my family. Easy but filled with a lot of love, Thank you for this one. Adding it to my collection. I will try it with whole wheat pasta.