Baked Chicken Florentine Casserole and Apple Spinach Salad
By Sian on Jun 20, 2009 with Comments 13
Guest post by Dawn Billesbach, owner/writer of www.menufortheweek.com
There are not words for just how amazing this dish is. I swear that it’s the best thing I’ve ever made – nothing like tooting my own horn. Of course, it’s highly caloric, but worth every single delicious calorie.
Baked chicken Florentine Casserole and Apple, Cranberry, Spinach Salad
Makes 6 servings
Active Prep. Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 40 mins @ 350 degrees
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts – sliced horizontally to make 2 thin breasts
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cups fresh, baby spinach
1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced (optional)
1/2 cup bacon bits – canned or fresh
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
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Baby spinach
1 cup dried cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple – chopped into bite size pieces
Favorite italian herb dressing
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken halves in a large baking 
dish.
2) In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and saute garlic. Mix in flour, italian seasoning, whipping cream and parmesan. Pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken.
3) Sprinkle spinach and mushrooms over chicken. Pour remaining sauce on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
4) Microwave bacon between several layers of paper towels if you are making your own bacon bits.
5) Remove chicken from oven and top with mozzarella cheese and bacon bits. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
Salad: Mix remaining spinach with dried cranberries and apples and serve with your favorite italian dressing. Enjoy!
Dawn Billesbach, a Louisiana native and Colorado resident, is the founder and creator of Menu for the Week. Dawn is a busy mother of two who knows the stress that comes from walking in the door from a full day and being put on the spot to think of a good meal and quickly prepare it all; all while trying to catch up on her kids and husband’s day.
Menu for the Week takes the guess work out of “What’s for dinner?” by providing subscribers with a complete menu and categorized grocery list every week. This On-Line, On-Time, On-Budget meal planning service is every busy mom’s dream.
GGS friends: please support our guest writers – don’t forget to visit Dawn’s site and say hi!
Did you like this guest post? Let us know, your feedback is important to us. Thanks ~ Sian (GoGo Girl)
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[...] Baked Chicken Florentine Casserole and Apple Spinach Salad | Girl 20 Jun 2009. Baked chicken Florentine Casserole and Apple, Cranberry, Spinach Salad. Makes 6 servings. Active Prep. Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 40 mins. – Baked Chicken Florentine Casserole and Apple Spinach Salad | Girl [...]
This sounds amazing, love chicken florentine, now need to find a place to save it so I remember to make it!
this dish looks so good! will definately try it out
I made this tonight but tried to healthify it as much as possible.
Even with my substitutions it was really good, I can imagine making it as called for would be amazing.
These were my substitutions:
~1/4 cup light butter spread (this cut butter calories in half!)
~1 pint Fat Free Half and Half-I was looking for a FF version of whipping cream and couldn’t find anything. I wouldn’t use the half and half again. The flavor was great but it did mess up the consistency a bit. I read that a good substitute for whipping cream is evaporated milk that has been chilled overnight with a splash of lemon juice. I might try that next time.
1/2 cup bacon bits-I used Tastefully Simple seasoning Bacon Bacon which is actually soy, so much healthier than actual bacon.
1 cup fat free mozzarella and 1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese.
Also, don’t add the flour directly to the hot pot, it will clump, I put the flour in a cup and add a bit of cold water and stir until it’s dissolved, then add to the hot pot.
Thanks so much for the recipe! Very yummy!!
Alexis
lexerella on twitter
That looks so good. I cook one good meal a week, usually on Sundays. I try and keep the calories down the rest of the week. Thank you for the recipe. I know what I am making this Sunday.
oohhhmygosh! Does that EVER look yummy! If you don’t mind i’m going to snag this recipe and make next week. Thanks! Susan
yummy-but I might low fat it a little like the other comment!!
Yum!
Can you substitute olive oil for the butter, FF whipping cream or FF half and half for the full fat whipping cream and reduced fat cheese for full fat cheese or will that totally ruin the recipe?
It looks amazing I’m just wondering if I can health it up just a tiny bit.
Thanks!
All that cheese sold me…its a total treat-one that I am going to make on our next sunday dinner-thanks for sharing!!
I love the casserole recipe, thank-you!
mmmm…the recipes are wondahhhhful! looks yummy, ill have to try that
When hubby gets back from his trip i think ill be making this- It sounds delicious!! (Right now I have 2 weeks of taking taking it easy in the kitchen)
YUM YUM YUM This looks like a real treat- thanks for sharing-printing it off right now and then off to menu for the week!