Chicken Florentine Phyllo Pie
Layers of buttery, shatteringly crisp phyllo dough wrapped around a creamy filling of tender chicken, wilted spinach, ricotta, soft cheese, and a bright hit of lemon. Elegant enough for company, hearty enough for a weeknight, and ready in about an hour.
- Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup soft cheese (goat, bleu, or feta)
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed
- 6 oz spinach leaves (1 bag)
Phyllo Assembly
- 1 stick butter, melted (8 tablespoons)
- 16 phyllo sheets
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat to 375°F.
- Build the Ricotta Base: In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, chopped garlic, eggs, soft cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Beat on low until smooth and combined. Set aside.
- Sauté Chicken and Wilt Spinach: Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add cubed chicken and cook about 4 minutes until heated through. Add the entire bag of spinach and stir for 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat. Stir half a cup of the chicken-spinach mixture into the ricotta bowl to temper, then fold in the rest until thoroughly combined.
- Lay the Phyllo Foundation: Brush a cast iron skillet with melted butter. Lay the first phyllo sheet across the bottom and brush with butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets, brushing each one. Keep unused sheets covered with a damp towel.
- Fill and Crown: Spread the chicken-ricotta filling evenly over the phyllo base. Top with the remaining 8 phyllo sheets, brushing each one with butter including the top sheet. Tuck any overhanging sheets inward for a neat rim.
- Bake and Rest: Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is deeply browned, puffed, and crackly. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting for clean, gorgeous slices.
Notes
Keep unused phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel at all times — they dry out and become brittle in minutes. Brush every single phyllo layer with melted butter for maximum flaky separation. Tears in phyllo are not a problem — brush with butter and layer another sheet on top. Temper the filling by stirring a small amount of the hot chicken-spinach mixture into the ricotta before folding in the rest, to prevent scrambling the eggs. Let the pie rest 10 minutes before slicing for clean cuts. Leftover rotisserie chicken works perfectly. Goat cheese gives a tangy smooth filling, feta brings salty boldness, bleu adds rich funk — all work beautifully.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Cuisine: American, Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 480
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 11
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 24
- Cholesterol: 130
