Chicken Florentine Pesto Pasta

Dear chicken Florentine. I like you. I like your spinach and your cream sauce.

But honestly? I don’t love you. You’re missing a little pizzaz.

So, I would like to introduce you to my friend pesto pasta.

You kinda need that punch from the pesto’s garlic, basil, and Parmesan.

Now we have the makings of love. Go forth and multiply.

Recipe and photos updated, first published 2011

Chicken Florentine Pesto Pasta Recipe

We've used fresh spinach in this recipe, but you could easily use frozen. Just defrost and drain.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces dried short pasta (bowties, penne, gemelli, etc)
• 4 chicken breast cutlets (1 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
• Salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine or stock
• 8-16 ounces of fresh spinach*, washed, long stems removed and chopped
• Black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (or more) pesto

*To wash spinach, fill up a clean sink basin with cold water and let the spinach soak in the water. Move it around a bit to loosen any dirt. Fresh spinach is usually pretty dirty, so you may need to do a couple of soakings. Remove the spinach and shake off excess water. Lay the spinach leaves down on a clean towel and pat dry.

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