Chicken Florentine with Pasta and Fresh Tomatoes

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of oil until hot. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the preheated pan and brown on each side (about 5 minutes per side). Chicken doesn’t need to be done all the way through. Remove chicken to a platter or dish with sides to a warm oven ( 200 -250 degrees F) while you make the sauce. (This will usually finish cooking the chicken all the way through, without it drying out).

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the hot pan. Saute the garlic and the shallot until soft, about 1 minute. Add in flour and stir to combine. Whisk in broth. Let mixture come to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer until thickened and somewhat reduced. Then add in thawed spinach and heat through.

3. Remove the chicken from the oven, and check for doneness ( chicken should be 160 degrees F on instant read thermometer and it should no longer be pink in the middle). Slice each chicken breast into 6 – 7 thin slices per breast on a diagonal. Set aside.

4. Once sauce is done, turn off heat and add in half and half, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Test for salt and pepper and season if you want to. ( I only added pepper at this point ) Add the chicken back into the sauce and top with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Cover to let the heat from the sauce melt the cheese.

5. To assemble plates, put about 4 ounces of cooked pasta onto each plate, top with 1/6th of the chicken mixture and top with a couple of fresh tomato slices. You can also start with a handful of fresh spinach under the hot pasta ( it will wilt somewhat with the pasta and the sauce ) if you like to veg up the dish even more. Top with a bit more Parmesan cheese and some fresh ground black pepper.