This Chicken Florentine with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is quick and easy to make! Ready in 30 minutes, this pasta dish is loaded with sun dried tomatoes, chicken, garlic and spinach! Perfect for any weeknight dinner, you're family is guaranteed to love every bite! Gluten-free option available!
It tastes as wonderful as it sounds and looks. I know, mouth-watering isn't it? This Chicken Florentine with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is one of our family favorites and I make it for dinner all the time! A good creamy pasta that includes sun dried tomatoes and spinach...YUM!
What is Chicken Florentine anyway? I'm glad you asked!! A traditional Chicken Florentine dish typically lies on a bed of spinach leaves and mushrooms. It typically has a creamy white sauce mixed with garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, and is topped with baked mozzarella. And this recipe is kinda like that with a couple of variations.
For example...I made a pasta dish out of this one...because I absolutely love me some pasta! If serving with pasta, you'll typically see people using farfalle. I used penne because Barilla makes a fabulous gluten-free penne version that I love. I left the mushrooms out of this recipe, which is rare...I love mushrooms! I don't use Parmesan in this recipe. So I switched it up just a little bit so it's not your traditional Chicken Florentine dish.
Let's talk pasta a minute. People often ask me, "Do you actually eat pasta? Isn't pasta unhealthy?" Just to be crystal clear...I eat pasta and I eat it often. Like my Garlic Basil Chicken Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and my Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce. I eat pasta bout once a week, actually. You see, I'm a macro follower. I'm big into lifting weights for muscle gain and growth. And you can't grow and build muscles unless you eat carbs. I am such a huge believer of eating the right amount of the right types of foods, and that includes pasta. Yeah for pasta!!
I'm going to get on my soap box for a minute so bear with me. Your body needs carbs, healthy fats and protein. So please, do me the biggest favor in the world and don't deprive yourself of the foods you actually need! Just eat smart and eat the right amounts of your macros and you will be fine! If you want to talk macro theory, just email me and we can chat. I'm a size 2 and I eat whatever I want...as long as they fit in my daily macros.
Ok, so off my soap box. Let's get back to this dish. Guys, this Chicken Florentine with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta was way too easy to make. This savory pasta dish came from Pinch of Yum. If you don't follow Lindsay and Bjork, you must go now and check out their food blog. Just go to Pinch of Yum. They keep it simple and easy. And Lindsay's writing style is amazing! I feel like I connect with her...like she's writing directly to me!
So, I took Pinch of Yum's dish and made it with Gluten Free penne pasta and it turned out amazing. I mean...look at this picture. Who knew Gluten Free looked so good! My kids devoured this dish and said, "Yeah - worth repeating, mom." So that's why this Chicken Florentine with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta landed on my site!
30 minutes to make from refrigerator to table. So super easy and with a fabulous taste. It's a must-try!
More Pasta Recipes!
Chicken Florentine with Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta, (I use Gluten Free Noodles)
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 8 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups spinach, raw
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the poultry seasoning. Sauté chicken until it is cooked all the way through. Set aside in a separate plate.
- Drain the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Feel free to chop them into smaller pieces, but I don't. Add them to the pan you cooked your chicken in, along with the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the half and half, milk, chicken broth and Mozzarella cheese to the pan with the garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Stir until the sauce is smooth and bubbly and the cheese is melted. It should start to thicken up slightly. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and stir.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and raw spinach. The spinach will start to cook down almost immediately. If you need the sauce to thicken, add more Mozzarella cheese.
- Stir for about 5 more minutes until the sauce is at the consistency you desire. Serve immediately.
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade
I totally agree with you that your body needs carbs, fat AND protein. That's why I could never do those super low carb restrictive diets. Besides, I just love carbs 🙂 This dish looks delicious
Amanda Mason
Thanks!! I hope you enjoy!!
Sara
This looks like pure comfort! I can't wait to recreate this at home!
Amanda Mason
You guys will love it!!
elcitrakale
husband and my kid enjoy pasta so much.. this is become new list on my menu. thank you for sharing yummy recipe. xo
Amanda Mason
I hope you enjoy it!!
Kushi
I love sun dried tomatoes and your recipe is so good. I can't wait to try this out
Amanda Mason
Thanks! Enjoy!
Tatiana
Actually a lot of fantastic dishes are made spontaneously, easy and without extra planning! Sun dried tomatoes fit beautifully in to this dish too .
Amanda Mason
Thanks! They do help add flavor and beauty!!
prasanna hede
I really liked your thoughts,loved the recipe!
Amanda Mason
Thanks!
Tamara Andersen
Thanks for this thoughtful post Amanda! As a fellow "healthy" blogger, I get a lot of crap about using some bacon, or posting a recipe for a dessert or cocktail. It's all about the macros! I'm 58 and a size 6, and I watch my macros. Yes, we can have pasta! Your pasta recipe looks fabulous, and I'd take a bowl of it right now!
Amanda Mason
I'm SO glad I have another macro counter!! It's all about eating the right amounts!
Patti
I love pasta dishes. This sounds wonderful. There are a whole lot of amazing flavors coming together in this dish. I can't wait to try it. Plus, since your kids like it, I'm sure mine will, too.
Amanda Mason
You will love it and so will your kiddos!!
Veena Azmanov
I love adding sun dried tomatoes in my pasta sauce too. My hubby thinks he does not like sun dried tomatoes but in reality he's been eating it all the while... My kids would love this. Sounds so yum.
Amanda Mason
It's delish! The sun dried tomatoes make this dish! Enjoy!
Kate
I agree with your philosophy! I also love Lindsay and Bjork from Pinch of Yum! Such a great blog. I love sundried tomatoes in pasta!
Amanda Mason
Yes - so yummy!! Enjoy!