Chicken Florentine

Chicken Florentine in casserole form takes the restaurant favorite and turns it into a weeknight bake that feeds a family of six from one pan. The classic Florentine pairing of chicken and spinach gets the American comfort treatment, with rice on the bottom to soak up all the cream-of-chicken-soup goodness and a melted Swiss cheese cap on top.

The Swiss cheese is the right call here. It melts smoothly without going greasy, and its slightly nutty, earthy flavor plays beautifully against the spinach. Mozzarella would work but it lacks Swiss’s tang, and cheddar would overpower the delicate spinach.

Thaw and drain the frozen spinach really well before mixing. Frozen spinach holds an absurd amount of water, and excess liquid will turn the casserole into soup. Squeeze it dry in a clean towel until you can’t get another drop out.

Layering matters. Spinach-rice base, chicken strips on top, cheese over the chicken. The chicken cooks in the steam from the casserole, basted by the cheese as it melts.

Pro Tips

• Add 1 to 1¼ cups of chicken broth to the rice mixture before baking, the rice needs liquid to cook through.
• Cut the chicken into even strips so they cook in the same time as the rice.
• Cover the dish with foil for the first 20 minutes to trap steam, uncover for the last few to brown the cheese.
• Let the casserole rest 5 minutes after baking, the rice continues to absorb liquid as it stands.

Variations

• Use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken for a deeper, earthier flavor.
• Stir a quarter cup of grated parmesan into the spinach-rice base for added savory depth.
• Top with toasted bread crumbs for a crunchy crust above the cheese.