Chicken Florentine and Farfalle
This creamy Chicken Florentine And Farfalle pasta recipe is a spot on copycat if the Italian American Bertolli frozen food brand, but made at home for a fraction of the cost and still ready in under 30 minutes. With savory chunks of chicken, fresh baby spinach, and bowtie pasta noodles in a creamy white sauce it’s a flavorful meal perfect for busy nights
While I typically try to make most of our meals from scratch, somedays are just too busy as a busy parent.
For those nights I try to keep a frozen meal from the store on hand that can pretty much just be heated up on the stove top quickly.
One of our favorites is Bertolli’s Chicken Florentine & Farfalle. It’s got savory chunks of chicken, bow tie shaped pasta, and spinach in a creamy white sauce.
However over the years I’ve found that it’s just as easy to make our copycat version of this recipe at home, and still only takes about 20 minutes.
More flavorful and cheaper than the commercial version this homemade copycat pasta recipe is a must have recipe to get dinner on the table quickly on busy weeknights!
Ingredients Needed
Like all my favorite recipes, this creamy chicken pasta only needs a handful of easy to source ingredients.
To make it you’ll need:
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – trimmed of fat
- Pasta – Farfalle pasta, aka bow tie noodles
- Oil – I recommend using olive oil for this recipe, specifically extra virgin olive oil
- Aromatics – Garlic cloves and a small yellow onion
- Spinach – Fresh baby spinach- NOT frozen spinach
- Seasoning – Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cream Cheese – Softened – you can use regular cream cheese, or Neufchatel to save calories
- Milk – Use whatever variety or fat percentage of milk you have on hand
- Alfredo Sauce – 1 16 oz jar of your favorite brand and flavor of white alfredo sauce
- Cheese – Shredded, or grated, Parmesan cheese- for serving
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to begin!
How To Make
Making this copycat Bertolli’s freezer meal is super easy, start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper- then cooking it in your preferred method.
This could be on the grill or the stove top. Once it’s cooked to the safety standard and had time to rest, dice it up and set it aside.
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions cooking to al dente, then drain and set aside. You can do this while the chicken cooks to cut down on the overall ‘cook’ time.
To a large skillet add the olive oil, 1 – 2 tablespoon’s worth, and heat it over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent.
Add the spinach leaves, stirring often, and cook just until wilted. Add the softened, cubed cream cheese to the dish and continue cooking and stirring until it’s melted down. The mixture will be thick.
Stir in the alfredo sauce until evenly incorporated, then whisk in the milk slowly until the sauce has reached a thick but smooth consistency.
Return the chicken to the dish, stirring to incorporate, and season it with salt and pepper- to taste.
Add the pasta back to the dish, stirring again until everything’s evenly incorporated.
Plate the pasta and serve warm with shredded, or grated, Parmesan cheese overtop and enjoy!
Storing
This chicken florentine & farfalle recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to enjoy again, reheat in your preferred method.
Unfortunately, this creamy pasta recipe doesn’t freeze well.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Looking for a vegetarian version? Swap mushrooms for the meat!
- Don’t have bowtie noodles? Use whatever you have handy, although I do recommend a shorter noodle.
- Use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach has too much water and will make your sauce loose and soggy.
Other Creamy Pasta Recipes
Creamy chicken florentine and farfalle pasta is an easy meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy nights when you want something both filling and comforting.
Save it and try it for yourself!
Looking for other creamy pasta recipes to enjoy?
Try these:
- Three Cheese Chicken & Rotini Pasta Casserole
- Creamy Cheesy Riggis Pasta with Ham
- Italian Wedding Soup Pasta Skillet
If you’ve tried this CHICKEN FLORENTINE AND FARFALLE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Chicken Florentine And Farfalle
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb box of Farfalle pasta
- olive oil
- 1 bunch of fresh spinach or 1 box of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and all excess water drained
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 6 oz cream cheese softened and cubed
- salt & pepper to taste
- milk
- 1 jar of Alfredo sauce
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. For the best taste, grill the chicken, then chop it up and set it aside. The chicken can also be pan cooked and then chopped if you prefer.3-4 boneless, salt & pepper
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, and set aside.1 lb box of Farfalle pasta
- In a large skillet add in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, the garlic, and onions. Saute 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add spinach and allow it to heat through, or until wilted if it's fresh..olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 small onion, 1 bunch of fresh spinach
- Next, add in the cream cheese and stir in until it's melted and evenly combined. The mixture will be thick and that's OK.6 oz cream cheese
- Add in the alfredo sauce, again stirring to evenly incorporate. Now, add the milk, and tiny bit at a time, until the desired consistency is reached1 jar of Alfredo sauce, milk
- Stir the chicken into the sauce, Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add the pasta to the pan and stir it into the sauce until everything's nice and 'saucey', err evenly incorporated! Serve warm with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese on top.Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Looking for a vegetarian version? Swap mushrooms for the meat!
- Don't have bowtie noodles? Use whatever you have handy, although I do recommend a shorter noodle.
- Use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach has too much water and will make your sauce loose and soggy.
Nutrition
Oh my goodness, that looks really good.
Delicious dish! I love taking vacations where we can’t get the internet or cell service! It forces you to relax and pick up a book. However, when you want it and don’t have it, it can make you crazy!
OMG and we thought the Bartoli premade bag was good. New family favorite. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Easy to make and took no time at all. We substituted breaded grilled chicken strips and cut them up and I must say it is phenomenal!!! I even have a video of the finished product but can’t seem to share on here.
Looks yummy and easy! Will definitely try! Thank you for the recipe! ??
Thanks for stopping by and I’m so glad you liked today’s post. Hope to see you again soon!
Oh I’ll definitely be back for your yummy recipes! ?
Nice dish Meaghan, thanks for bringing it to the Fiesta :-)
No internet shock horror! We did that last Summer- perfect family holiday! ☺My son would love this recipe and as he’s suddenly taken to cooking dinner once a week so I’ll show this to him. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday this week – don’t forget to add the links so your readers can join the party too. Have a great weekend.
how much milk do you use? is it 1 cup? it’s not clear.
thanks!
There’s no set amount. I just eye ball it until it looks right to me. Between the cream cheese and the alfredo sauce, it’s pretty thick- so the milk’s added until it’s thin enough to coat the pasta well without being runny.
What brand Alfredo sauce did you use?
I actually just use my local store brand, but if I can’t get there’s then I use Classico.
I made this because I couldn’t get the Bertolli in the frozen foods section. This is better! I used Bertolli sauce and added mushrooms and ripe olives but it is fantastic either way. Thank you so much for sharing!
Ohmygosh I made this recipe exactly as is and it is amazing!! I didn’t feel like doing the fancy long hand recipes and this was so quick and easy yet you’d never know by tasting it!