Chicken Florentine Casserole

Time :50 minutes
Yield :4 servings

The Scoop

Basically, the dorm potluck equivalent of showing up overdressed and somehow becoming everyone’s favorite.
Tender chicken gets tucked into a garlicky mushroom cream sauce before the whole thing gets buried under bubbling mozzarella.
It’s deliciously comforting, crowd-friendly, and considerably more impressive than anything that comes out of a cafeteria microwave.
Hack it:
If the mozzarella is melted but not quite browned enough, switch to broil for 1–2 minutes at the end. Watch it closely; it goes from golden to burnt surprisingly fast.
Sauté the mushrooms briefly before adding them if you want deeper flavor and less moisture in the casserole.
Leftovers:
Florentine toast: Spoon the chicken, spinach, and sauce over thick slices of toasted sourdough and broil until bubbly.
Creamy pasta: Chop the leftover chicken and toss everything with cooked pasta and a splash of milk or cream to loosen the sauce.
Loaded baked potato: Pile the casserole over a baked potato for an extremely satisfying second act.
Breakfast hash: Chop the chicken and spinach mixture, crisp it in a skillet, and top with a fried egg.

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breast, skinless, boneless and halved
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 (10.75) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained
  • 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2/3 cup bacon bits
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Arrange the chicken breast halves on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Bake until the chicken is fully cooked and the juices run clear, registering 165 degrees F when tested with a meat thermometer, about 20-30 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven and set it aside for later.
  • Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
  • Add the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and parmesan cheese while whisking.
  • Cover the bottom of a 9x9-inch casserole dish with the spinach.
  • Top the spinach with the mushrooms.
  • Pour half of the cream mixture from the saucepan over the spinach and mushrooms.
  • Arrange the chicken on the top and cover it with the remaining sauce.
  • Sprinkle the bacon bits and the mozzarella over top.
  • Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
  • Serve warm!
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