creamy chicken florentine pasta

If you like pasta and you also like chicken Florentine, you are going to love this recipe.

Here’s a one dish meal that is easy to make on those nights when you are in a hurry or just aren’t in the mood to clean 4 million pots.  Imagine that!  Serve this with a big salad, and call it dinner.

I typically keep all of the ingredients for this dish on hand, so this recipe makes for a good last minute supper provided that the chicken is defrosted or can be defrosted relatively quickly. If you have a gas grill, even better because the chicken will cook in a snap.

Because you will use some chicken broth in the place of milk, the sauce is lower in calories than other cream- or milk-based sauces and the use of grated cheese gives you lots of flavor for the amount used, also a good calorie saver.

Leftovers reheat nicely – yes, I usually overcook, so I know this is true. What can I say? It’s the Italian in me.

Adapted from Cooking Light

creamy chicken florentine pasta

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Course: Main Meal

Cuisine: Italian

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Marie

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 boneless chicken breasts , grilled and sliced
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 1 cup of reserved pasta water
• 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 4 cups baby spinach leaves , rinsed and dried

Instructions

• In a large pot, cook pasta according to package instructions (ensure you salt the water appropriately, about 1 teaspoon per quart of water used)
• In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth and milk and warm gently but do not boil. Set aside.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat, add the flour and stir to form a roux and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow the roux to brown.
• Add the black pepper, and broth/milk mixture to the roux and whisk briskly until smooth. Continue heating gently until thickened, then remove from heat and add the Parmesan cheese.
• When pasta is finished cooking, drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water
• To assemble dish, combine cheese sauce with pasta, spinach, and chicken. Stir to combine and very slowly add small amounts of the reserved pasta water, only if needed, to thin sauce.

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