Chicken Florentine

This dish isn't gorgeous, look at it!  But it's delicious.  This is a meal in one, you probably could add steamed veggies or a salad on the side, but I never have.

This meal is one of my husbands top 5.  I make this on a semi-regular basis or when my hubby has had had a particularly long or stressful day at work.  It also helps that my four children love this. Anything covered with cheese or filled with bacon is pretty much guaranteed to be a winner.  This recipe has both!

If you haven't had a Chicken Florentine before I want you to imagine steaming hot rice covered in layers of chicken, bacon, mushrooms and fried onions, the whole thing is topped with a creamy style Italian sauce and cheese.  I have made this before with pasta, but I find the rice so much easier.  I either plan this meal for the night after a meal with rice and simply cook more and set aside OR I pop some rice into the rice cooker and leave it to do its thing.

This makes a large tray of Florentine, but it could be halved if you want/need less.  This recipe will serve 8-10 adults.  If you want to stretch it, add some garlic bread and a salad and you can feed up to 12 adults.

Recipe:

5 cups cooked rice
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
3 chicken breasts, diced (about 750g or 1 1/2 pounds)
10-12 button mushrooms, quartered (or more if you really like them)
1 - 1 1/4  cup diced bacon (about 10 rashers)
250g (1/2 pound) box of frozen spinach, defrosted and excess water squeezed out
2 x 425 g tins of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sour cream (I use light)
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 180oC (375oF)
In a large fry pan, heat the oil and fry the chicken until white.  Add the onions, mushrooms and bacon to the pan and continue to cook.
Meanwhile, place the rice into a large lasagne still tray.  Pat to all the corners and top with the spinach  (I use clean hands rather than a spoon).
Top with the contents of fry pan and use a wooden spoon to move it around, to get a bit of everything everywhere.
Add the soup, milk and the crushed garlic to the still hot fry pan.  Stir and cook until bubbly.
Add the basil and lemon juice, stir to combine.  Turn the heat off and add the sour cream.
Stir well and pour over the chicken and vegetable layer.  Making sure you get into the sides and a bit of the sauce gets everwhere.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes OR until the top is golden and bubbly.
Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes (enough to set the table and get the plates out of the cupboard).
Enjoy hot. 

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x