Lindrusso's Chicken Florentine Casserole

[rinsav]

I'm looking forward to trying this casserole this week! I have one quick question...how many servings does this make? Thanks! I'm sure I'm going to love it.:)

[RUSTYSMOM]

I would say it feeds 6 comfortably. i made it in a 9x11 pyrex - or 4 with leftovers (the leftovers are great). It is delicious!!

Thansk again LIndaRUsso.

[rinsav]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it!

[suziking]

Would someone post this recipe? It sounds really yummy. Linda - did you make this recipe up?

Thanks! Suzi

[lindrusso]

Suzi,

Here's the recipe. No, I did not make it up. I'm not sure where it comes from either - that's because I ripped it out of a magazine at the Health Club :o . I just had to have it!

CHICKEN FLORENTINE CASSEROLE

4 (about 1 pound) boned and skinned chicken breast halves
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 large clove garlic, sliced
1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 ounces neufchatel cheese (1/3-less fat), cut up and softened
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound linguine, broken in half
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1. Heat oven to 375º. Lightly oil 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boiling over high heat.

2. Combine chicken, 3/4 cup water, wine and garlic in saucepan. Bring to boiling over high heat; reduce heat; gently simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Measure broth, adding water if needed to make a total of 1 3/4 cups. Tear chicken into about 1/2-inch wide shreds.

3. Place wet spinach in a large nonreactive pot; cover; cook over high heat until wilted, 3 minutes. Drain, lightly pressing out excess water. Coarsely chop; return to pot.

4. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in reserved 1 3/4 cup broth mixture; cook, stirring until thickened and smooth, 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add cheese sauce and shredded chicken to spinach in pot.

5. Meanwhile, add linguine to boiling water; cook until firm but tender, 9-10 minutes. Drain; add to spinach mixture. Turn into prepared casserole. Combine remaining Parmesan cheese, crumbs and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top casserole. Bake in 375º oven about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve.

Enjoy!

[keeganm]

I just saw this recipe on the BB and it looks great, i was thinking of taking it over to a friend's house who just had a baby...has anyone made this yet and have any feedback? Thanks!

[SoCal]

This recipe has gotten alot of great reviews which makes me wonder why I haven't made it yet! The only thing I would caution you about is if the new mommy is breast feeding, the garlic and perhaps the spinach (not positive on the spinach) may not sit well with the baby. I'll try to find a previous thread on this subject and will post if I do.

Editing here:

Here is one thread with some ideas and advice on what types of foods may affect the baby if mom is breastfeeding:

http://cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6470&highlight=dinner+ideas

If I find more, I'll be back!

[keeganm]

You are so right about the spinach, i totally forgot about that! Thanks for the reminder...i guess I'll just have to make it for us sometime this week. :D

[SusanL]

This was previously posted but it needs to be repeated. I made Gail's Psycho Chicken on the first day, used leftover chicken the second day to make Lindrusso's Chicken Florentine Casserole with excellent results!! These two are family favorites, but I had to make 2 chickens as DH had no self control when it comes to Psycho Chicken!! :eek:

[SuzyQue]

I just want to add my praise for this recipe...I know it's been floating around on different threads, so I wasn't sure where to post, but I guess here's as good as anywhere!!

This was delicious. The white sauce was SO flavorful, it was better than most I've ever tasted. I put in a little more spinach than called for, and a little less cream cheese, but otherwise made it as written. I don't think I'd change a thing next time (and there will be a next time!) The only thing I regret is that DH isn't home for dinner tonight! Oh well, he'll have to settle for leftovers (which I'm sure will be great!)

The only downside to the recipe was that there were a lot of different steps involved -- the chicken, spinach, white sauce, and pasta all had to be cooked separately and then combined at the end. I think next time I'll make this on a weekend and double it.

Thanks for posting it, lindrusso!!! :) :)

[kathy123]

I love this recipe....I make it quite often and in great quantities.

In regards to the serving size -- I would say 4 to 6. My husband and I like it so much that we eat to much of it.

I think this is a great meal even for someone that is breastfeeding. The garlic is not to strong and the spinach is minimal. (I have a 3 month old who is breastfed).

Thanks Lindrusso. It was a big hit at a recent dinner party.

[valchemist]

kathy, glad to hear the dinner party worked out. did you end up baking the large batch in a bowl as you had planned or in several rectangular pans?

[lindrusso]

Glad you all enjoyed this recipe! :) I keep saying I need to make this again...it's been a while...

Alysha

[TLee4]

This sounds good. Has anyone made it with whole wheat pasta?

Any thoughts about how it would turn out?

Thanks,
Terri

[lindrusso]

Terri,

Personally, I think this would work well with whole wheat pasta. I often have whole wheat pasta with a bit of Alfredo sauce (just a bit ;) ) for lunch and I like the two together. I have also used whole wheat pasta with a pesto lasgna and a spinach-mushroom lasgna with good results.

When it comes to spaghetti and meatballs, though, give me plain white pasta anytime! :)

Alysha

[pbeyers]

This sounds wonderful, does anyone know the nutritional info on it?

[lindrusso]

According to my MC, assuming 6 servings and assuming 1 pound of chicken:

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 421 Calories; 15g Fat (33.0% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 76mg Cholesterol; 779mg Sodium.

[TamiKnight]

Originally posted by RUSTYSMOM
I would say it feeds 6 comfortably. i made it in a 9x11 pyrex - or 4 with leftovers (the leftovers are great). It is delicious!!

Thansk again LIndaRUsso.

Did you double the recipe to make it in a 9x13? I notice the original recipe calls for an 8x8 pan.

[TLee4]

Thanks for the replies on the WW pasta. I'm adding this to my (long) "to make" list!

Terri

[SuzyQue]

TLee, I made it with whole wheat pasta (forgot to mention it in my post) and thought it was great. But then again, I can't really tell the difference between regular pasta and whole wheat! They taste the same to me!

[pbeyers]

Thanks for the nutritional info, always watching those WW points:)

[MrsReber]

Just wanted to say a couple of things- first off, this recipe is awesome! I should make it again, too. I think I'll buy the stuff this weekend.

Second of all, I wouldn't worry about breastfeeding. I'm currently breastfeeding my son and I eat just about anything. This recipe is pretty harmless. Spinach is especially good for moms to eat because of the folic acid! One clove of garlic is not going to do anything, either. Raw red onions were the only thing I ever had a problem with. I say make the casserole- your friend will love you for it!

[kathy123]

Originally posted by valchemist
kathy, glad to hear the dinner party worked out. did you end up baking the large batch in a bowl as you had planned or in several rectangular pans?

I baked it in two 9 x 13 pans. I had extra so I used a disposable casserole pan which I froze. Thank you for letting me know that the big mixing bowl would not work out. I am not a good cook so I would never have thought about it drying out the top and the bottom.

[SuzyQue]

kathy, I'm also glad to hear that this recipe worked well in a dinner party scenario. What did you serve with it?

[Pony]

I went home to visit the family this weekend. My mom wanted to make a casserole so we could bring it to my brother and pregnant sister-in-law (not anymore, she delivered today!!:D )
I gave her this recipe and the mexican lasagna recipe that was posted on the board from Jewel I think??
She chose this one b/c she had more of the ingredients on hand.

Everyone loved it. Even my picky brother asked for seconds. I made it and lots of pots/pans were used, but I told my sister-in-law how to work around it. She asked for the recipe and wanted to make it again.

One thing I might have accidently done was add more oregano then what it called for :confused: I can't for the life of me remember what measuring spoon I used, I was on the phone at that part of the recipe. I think I used the 1/2 Tablespoon instead of 1 teaspoon. Luckily, it was just oregano and not the nutmeg. I love nutmeg, but that could have been a disaster. Unfortuantely, b/c I think I used to much oregano, I could not taste the nutmeg like I had hoped. Oh well, everyone still loved it, but I will make sure I make it right next time.

We served it with a tossed salad and Trader Joe's ciabatta (sp?) bread. Very good!!!!! My sister-in-law kept wanting more and more bread, had to go pick her up another loaf.

[semmens]

This recipe completely destroyed every pan, bowl and pot in my kitchen but it was worth it ;)

I used fullfat cream cheese cause that's what I had. It made at least 6 servings and I put it in a 7 x 11 pyrex. The leftovers reheated beautifully in the microwave.

Laura