Several of chicken Florentine's central ingredients -- skinless chicken breasts, spinach and garlic -- potentially make for a healthy and nutritious meal. However, once you add the butter, cream, cheese and wine that typically are included in the traditional Italian recipe, and then serve it on a bed of pasta, the calories and fat make the dish a no-no for dieters and weight-watchers. Modern variants of this classic dish combine the healthy ingredients of spinach, chicken and garlic with low-fat items that still deliver a rich, delicate flavor.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Bring water to a boil and cook penne according to package directions, except cook it for two minutes less than recommended. Drain the pasta into a colander, and run cool water over it to stop the cooking.
Step 3
Slice the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper. Chop fresh spinach and oregano and finely dice the garlic. Shred leftover roasted chicken breast, removing all the fat, skin, cartilage and bone.
Step 4
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet over a medium-high heat until the skillet causes a drop to sizzle. Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil for about 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper and sauté them for about four minutes. Add the chopped spinach, oregano and black pepper and sauté them together, stirring, for three minutes or until the spinach just starts to wilt.
Step 5
Process the cottage cheese in a food processor until it is smooth. In a large bowl, mix the vegetables, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, milk, soup and half the Parmesan and cheddar cheese. Coat a 2-qt. baking dish with cooking spray and spoon the mixture evenly into the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until it is lightly browned and bubbling.
Tips and Warnings
- If you don't have leftover roasted chicken breast, dice and then pan fry one large chicken breast.
Things You'll Need
- Water
- Pot
- 8 oz. uncooked penne or other tube-shaped pasta
- Sauce pan
- Colander
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- 8 oz. mushroom
- 1 small onion
- 1 cup red bell pepper
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast
- Large, nonstick frying pan
- Cooking spray
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 16 oz. 2-percent low-fat cottage cheese
- Food processor
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk
- 1 10 3/4-oz. can condensed, low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
- 2-qt. baking dish
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