Chicken Florentine with Shiitakes

Serves 4

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets

• 3 T olive oil, divided

• 1⁄4 c flour

• 2 1⁄2 t kosher salt, divided

• 1⁄2 t black pepper

• 3 T unsalted butter

• 2 shallots, minced

• 1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 t dried)

• 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, (or any mushrooms) cleaned, trimmed and thickly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated

• 1 c dry white wine

• 1 c heavy cream (or 1⁄2 c heavy cream + 1⁄2 c chicken broth)

• 4 cups baby spinach, tough stems removed

• 2 T chopped parsley, for garnish

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Add olive oil to a large, heavy skillet and heat over a medium high flame. Sprinkle chicken cutlets on both sides with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge the chicken cutlets in flour and shake off any excess. Add chicken to the hot pan and sauté for about 4 minutes on one side to brown, then turn the cutlets to brown 3 minutes on side two. Don’t crowd the pan, brown in batches if necessary. Cook them until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove chicken from the pan onto a plate.

Add the butter to the same pan and add the shallots, thyme, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little salt and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, to soften the shallots and remove some moisture from the mushrooms. Add in garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Increase the heat and add the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Over medium high heat, reduce the wine by half. Lower the heat, add cream and let sauce simmer until thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.

Add the spinach to the pan with a teaspoon of salt and stir until the spinach is wilted.

Cut chicken into strips and return to the pan with any accumulated juices. Taste sauce for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon. wedges.