When you travel to Italy, you’ll likely search out all sorts of restaurants but one that’s less and less common?

A truly traditional Italian trattoria that serves classic local food, and is unassuming is essentially endangered. Blame it on the fact many of these restaurants are family-owned and the younger generations moved onto other careers. Or perhaps it’s because chain restaurants are favored to a sit-down meal at one of these establishments. Whatever the reason, there are fewer than before, which is all the more reason we set out to support those that do it right.

One place in Florence that’s as traditional as it gets is Trattoria Sostanza. The restaurant’s been open for more than 150 years and is nicknamed Il Troia (aka the trough) as diners line up to dig into their traditional Tuscan food.

A Bit About Trattoria Sostanza Florence

Set on a small street near the Arno river, you could miss the restaurant if you weren’t looking for it. When you enter, you’ll notice a few things right away: there are only a handful of tables (so, yes, you need a reservation) and the decor is simple but comforting.

The food is traditionally Tuscan and their relatively short menu has a handful of classic dishes available at all times like tripe, bistecca all Fiorentina, sautéed porcini mushrooms, and beans in olive oil.

But their butter fried chicken breasts or petti di Pollo al burro is what they’re known for. In fact, we’d say it’s such a highlight that you shouldn’t order any other main dish when you visit.

My family has been frequenting Trattoria Sostanza since I was a child. And, after missing it, we were determined to figure out how to make the recipe at home. This is the technique we came up with that’s a twist on the original recipe (as in easier to make but just as delicious). And, we’ve been cooking it for years.

What Is Florentine Butter Chicken?

Yes, most recipes that are coined “florentine” have some sort of spinach or wilted green added in (ahem, we’re looking at you, Eggs Florentine).

But that is not the case here. Also, known as Tuscan Butter Chicken, Italian Butter Chicken, or simply as Butter Chicken, this recipe has long been associated with Trattoria Sostanza. So much so that the beloved author Elizabeth David shared a recipe for it in her definitive cookbook Italian Food. 

Tips For Making Italian Butter Chicken

At Sostanza, they make this by dredging the chicken in egg but we like this simpler method. Also, they don’t use the garlic or the parsley but we like the extra flavor they both bring.

If you wanted you could alter it even further by say, topping it with crisped sage leaves, by wrapping the chicken in prosciutto as we do in this recipe, or by cooking the butter until it’s browned but that’s not necessary. Here are tips to making this dish a success every time:

• Use a mix of olive oil and butter: Traditionally, this recipe is only made with butter. However, we add in a touch of olive oil in order to make it a little easier to cook without burning the butter. Go ahead and skip the olive oil if you are confident in your cooking skills. Oh, and keep in mind you do want the butter to be really browned (like a good beurre noisette) but you don’t want it to burn!
• Add the butter in two steps: Another key to not burning the butter is to keep a few tablespoons of cold butter on the side and add it toward the end so that it lowers the cooking temperature.
• Use skin-on chicken: A lot of variations of this recipe call for skinless chicken breasts, but we think that’s a shame. Keeping the skin on means you get a crispy coating that’s delicious!
• Baste The Chicken: The key to this dish is the butter so not only do you want to use high quality (ideally European style) butter but also you want to baste the chicken in the butter when it comes out of the oven to really get the sauce all over!
• Add Some Lemon Juice: You don’t have to add in lemon juice but we like that it adds a punch of acid and brightens the dish. This is not lemon butter chicken so you don’t need to add so much lemon juice that it is lemon-y tasting. Rather you’re just trying to add enough acid to cut through the sauce.
• Serve It In A Small Pan: At the restaurant, the chicken is served in traditional two-handled Italian aluminum pans though you can also use a small cast iron pan as we did here!

Other Recipes To Serve With This Dish

You could serve this with nothing more than a side salad of arugula, some wilted spinach, or white beans in olive oil. A few other recipes that would go well with this dish are:

• {Zucchini Alla Scapece} Fried Zucchini With Mint
• Celery Salad With Parmigiano Reggiano And Walnuts
• Italian Style Pan-Roasted Mushrooms

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Want to cook this recipe at a later date? Pin it to your Pinterest account so you can access it when you need some cooking inspiration. 

Now, go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!

And, if you’re heading to Italy and need help deciding where to eat and what to do, check out our travel planning services!