Keto chicken Florentine is a deliciously rich chicken dinner, perfect for any night of the week. With fresh not frozen spinach, heavy cream, and white wine, this low carb chicken recipe packs big flavors you will love into an easy dinner recipe.
We’re a busy family so I’m always looking for family friendly recipes. I rely on 30 minute one pan meals to get dinner on the table fast. And who says that a quick low carb meal has to be blah and boring? This quick keto chicken Florentine comes to the rescue with a rich, silky sauce and great flavor. Just serve with parsley cauliflower rice (recipe below) and a salad for a complete meal.
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What is Florentine?
Florentine simply means “cooked in the style of Florence” or “with spinach”. On a restaurant menu it normally refers to cooking a protein with spinach and a rich Mornay sauce (cheese sauce). These spinach Florentine crepes are one example.
Most chicken Florentine recipes specify breaded and fried chicken breasts and a classic cream sauce thickened with flour. Since bread crumbs and flour are not low carb this keto chicken Florentine recipe uses a little cream cheese and heavy cream instead. Don’t worry about the sauce being too rich, a little dry white wine cuts the richness and enhances the flavor of the mushrooms.
TIP: If you don’t drink wine substitute chicken broth and a squeeze of lemon. Acid helps balance richness and lemon and spinach are best friends.
How to Make Keto Chicken Florentine – Fast!
Making this delicious low carb chicken Florentine is simple.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken in a little olive oil, in a skillet over medium heat.
- When cooked through, remove it to a plate and keep warm.
- Brown the mushrooms, add the garlic and a splash of dry white wine.
- Add the spinach and stir to wilt.
- Push the mushrooms and spinach to the sides of the pan, then add the softened cream cheese and heavy cream stirring until thick and melted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the chicken.
Now, I think it fair to say that this is a quick and dirty version of chicken Florentine and not an authentic recipe, but it’s easy and full of flavor.
What Goes with Chicken Florentine?
While rice or potatoes may be the traditional accompaniment to a dish like this creamy chicken Florentine, they aren’t keto friendly. I serve easy low carb chicken Florentine with cauliflower rice like this cauliflower pilaf or mashed cauliflower.
For a quick cauliflower rice recipe try this: Saute 2 tbsp minced onion in 1 tbsp butter. When softened, add 2 cups cauliflower rice and continue to saute until cooked. Stir in 1 tbsp minced parsley at the end of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I love easy low carb chicken recipes!
Low carb chicken recipes are the best. Chicken is versatile because it’s neutral in flavor and packed with protein. I use it all the time. And when I am making a dish with a rich cream sauce like this chicken Florentine, I love using lean boneless-skinless chicken breast.
While many people following a keto diet don’t track macros, there are plenty of us that need to keep our fat intake and calories in check. Choosing a leaner cut of chicken like boneless skinless chicken breast makes that possible.
Try these other easy low carb chicken recipes:
Chicken Florentine
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 oz/ 170 g each)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine* (2 fl oz/60 ml)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (4 fl oz/120 ml)
- 1/4 cup soft cream cheese (2 oz/56 g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 pound sliced mushrooms (4 oz/120 g)
- 1 cup fresh spinach, packed (2 oz/56 g)
Instructions
- *Sub 2 tsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup chicken broth for wine if you don't have any.
Preparation
- Let chicken come to room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. Pound chicken gently with a meat mallet to a more even thickness. Pat chicken dry, rub with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Method
- Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of water will skip across the surface) pour in 2 teaspoons of oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Place the chicken pretty-side down and turn heat to medium. Cook 6-8 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until the internal temperature reaches 160 F. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
- Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into the pan and add the mushrooms and garlic, stirring as they cook. Add more oil if necessary. Pour in the wine and stir into the mushrooms.
- Add the spinach to the pan and stir to encourage wilting.
- Push ingredients to the sides of the pan and turn pan to medium-low. Add the cream cheese and heavy cream to the middle of the pan. Stir until melted and thick.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Serve with a small side salad or cauliflower rice (see recipe for parsley cauliflower rice in the post).
- Serves 2. Each serving is 5.4 NET CARBS.
Nutrition
So delicious and didn’t feel like a ‘diet’ recipe! We’ll definitely be making this one again!
This was amazing! My husband licked his plate. I added asparagus and when i served it I chopped up the chicken into bite sized pieces. I also used beer instead of wine ( because why not? and I did not have any wine).
Absolutely delicious, my first day in the keto diet and if all meals are this tasty I’ll be happy.
I’m so happy you like the recipe, Helen! Have a nice week. -Kim
Are the calories per serving or the whole recipe
That’s per serving, Debbie. That’s 1 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of heavy cream and roughly 2 1/2 tsp olive oil each. To lower calories use low fat cream cheese and half and half. You can also use chicken broth or water to help you saute the mushrooms instead of olive oil. Don’t forget to count the extra carbs from the subs if you are following a low carb diet. -Kim
Thank you !! I am so excited for this. I just started Keto yesterday and this will be great!
When was I suppose to add the wine in the Chicken Florentine Recipe.?
Rosa Hopkins
Hi Rosa. Thank you for catching the omission. I’ve added the wine to the appropriate step. -Kim