This creamy spinach chicken has perfectly pan-seared chicken breasts smothered with a wonderfully rich homemade creamed spinach sauce. It’s the perfect easy chicken recipe for weeknights. It comes together super fast!
Is there anything better than a creamy chicken recipe? I also love this creamy chicken and cauliflower and creamy Tuscan chicken.
This creamy chicken with spinach is a flavor-packed skillet recipe, cooked in about 30 minutes. It’s my definition of the perfect weeknight comfort food! All of the delicious flavors of parmesan cheese, savory spinach, garlic, and juicy chicken come together in a rich, creamy dish that’s great on its own, and even better with a side of veggies. Dry, flavorless chicken? We don’t know her!
Reasons to Love This Creamy Chicken With Spinach
- One pan. I make the creamed spinach in the same skillet I use to cook the chicken. Not only does it pack the sauce full of flavor, but there’s one less dish to clean. Win-win.
- Versatile. Serve this chicken as-is with your favorite sides, or serve it with the sauce over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes. It’s a dinner made for weeknights in the wintertime!
- The best spinach sauce. We’ve been known to eat my creamed spinach recipe artichoke dip-style with a loaf of crusty bread. It’s THAT good.
Recipe Ingredients
This creamy spinach chicken is an ode to my husband, who used to meal prep my creamed spinach and eat it with any protein you could think of throughout the week. I include notes on the creamed spinach ingredients here, along with what you’ll need for this chicken recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full list, amounts, and details.
- Chicken Breasts – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use bone-in chicken or chicken thighs, though both types take slightly longer to cook.
- Olive Oil – Choose a good-quality oil for searing and for drizzling.
- Seasoning – I season the chicken with paprika (sweet or smoked), garlic powder, dried basil, and rosemary. Plus, salt and pepper to taste.
- Onion – Any small, mild onion or even shallot works well. Dice it up finely.
- Garlic – Freshly minced.
- Chicken Broth – I prefer low-sodium chicken broth or stock. Vegetable stock is a good substitute.
- Heavy Cream – You could substitute half-and-half or cream cheese. I don’t recommend replacing heavy cream with lower-fat alternatives like milk, as milk tends to split at higher temperatures.
- Baby Spinach – Fresh or frozen. If you’re using frozen spinach, be sure to thaw it completely and drain/squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese has the best flavor. You could also use goat cheese or feta.
Brine the Chicken First
If you have 15 minutes to spare, brining chicken makes the chicken breasts extra-juicy, tender, and flavorful. Second, it brings the chicken to room temperature so that it cooks evenly. If you don’t have the time, however, you can skip this step and go straight to preparing the chicken and sauce.
To brine the chicken, mix ¼ cup of salt with 4 cups of lukewarm water in a bowl. Immerse the chicken breasts into the brine, then cover and let that soak for 20 minutes on the counter, or place it into the fridge for up to 2 hours. I use this technique in my oven-roasted chicken breasts recipe and it hasn’t failed me yet!
How to Make Creamy Spinach Chicken
Once you’re ready to get cooking, follow the steps below.
- Season the chicken. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and coat them with the seasonings.
- Cook the chicken. Next, sear the chicken in a hot skillet with additional olive oil. Let it cook for 8 minutes, flip, and then cover the pan and cook for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Afterward, set the chicken aside while you make your sauce.
- Sauté. Next, in the same skillet you used to cook the chicken, sauté the diced onions and garlic.
- Deglaze the pan. Now, deglaze the pan with chicken broth. Make sure to scrape all the stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan. They have loads of flavor!
- Make the sauce. Pour in the heavy cream and let that simmer. Finally, wilt in the spinach and add the parmesan, stirring until that’s melted.
- Put it all together. Nestle the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Let everything simmer and heat through for a few minutes, and serve!
Change Up the Sauce
Customize the creamy spinach sauce with add-ins like garlic, nutmeg, thyme, or even lemon zest. You can also use different types of cheese, like blue cheese, feta cheese, or cheddar. Feel free to make it your own!
Tips and Variations
- Use chicken breasts that are similar in size. Try to find same-sized chicken breasts so that they cook evenly in the skillet. You can always pound chicken breasts that are too thick like you would for chicken picatta or chicken paillard.
- Check that the chicken is cooked. An instant-read thermometer comes in handy to check that the chicken is done. The internal temperature should read 165ºF at the thickest part of the breast.
- Don’t overheat the cream sauce. Keep the creamed spinach at a simmer and don’t let it boil, as the dairy can curdle and split if it’s overheated.
- Easy add-ins. Add in extra veggies like red peppers, roasted mushrooms, chopped broccoli, or sun-dried tomatoes (like you’ll find in creamy Marry Me Chicken).
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any chicken and spinach leftovers in airtight containers. Properly stored, cooked chicken breasts will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat. I like to warm this creamy spinach chicken with the sauce in a skillet on the stovetop until it’s hot throughout.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
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For the Chicken Breasts
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Season the chicken. Rub the chicken breasts with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, paprika garlic powder, basil, and rosemary.
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Sear the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Place chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 8 minutes, or until chicken is easy to move and edges are opaque.
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Cook. Flip over; cover the pan, and lower heat to medium-low. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, keep covered, and set aside.
For the Creamed Spinach
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Sauté the onions and garlic. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add diced onions and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
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Deglaze the pan. Add chicken broth and scrape up the pieces stuck at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the heavy cream and let simmer for a couple of minutes.
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Add spinach and cheese. Add baby spinach; cook for a minute or until just wilted. Melt in the parmesan cheese.
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Put it all together. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet to simmer with the sauce for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
- Chicken: This recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts; if you decide to use chicken thighs, remember that thighs will need a little longer to cook through. You can also adjust the ingredients and seasonings to your taste and add a variety of seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, thyme, or oregano.
- If time permits, I advise letting the chicken sit in salted water (brine) for 15 minutes, just as I have done here with my oven roasted chicken breasts. The method ensures tender and juicy chicken breasts.
- If you decide to brine the chicken breasts, be careful with how much salt you use when seasoning the chicken.
- Spinach: I used baby spinach to make the creamed spinach, but you could also use frozen but thawed and drained spinach.
Serving: 7ounces | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 437mg | Potassium: 981mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7788IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
