Whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner or something for special occasions, this Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Chicken recipe is a perfect choice! A creamy sauce smothers tender chicken breasts, buttery mushrooms, and fresh baby spinach – no flour, cornstarch, or roux needed.
If you’re like most people these days, chances are you’re pretty busy! Between work, life, and balancing all of the chores, it can be pretty hard to get a decent dinner on the table. This is why take-out and fast food is more popular than ever, but it doesn’t have to be that way!
Enter in chicken skillet meals. I’ve already shared my creamy garlic chicken, roasted red pepper chicken, and creamy mushroom chicken recipes (all which are ready in 15-30 minutes). Today I’m sharing one of my favorite versions: this Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Chicken recipe.
This one is a bit more involved than the other easy skillet meals I’ve featured, but it’s totally worth the few extra steps. This is one of my husband’s absolute favorite recipes, and he’s constantly requesting it. If he even sees me add spinach to the grocery list, he starts to get excited.
But the best part? It’s a super easy recipe that you could make any day of the week. Oh, and the whole family loves it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s ready in less than 35 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal!
- This great recipe is low in carbs but big on flavor! Perfect for those eating low-carb, keto, or gluten-free.
- There’s no flour and no roux needed! Just a super simple creamy sauce.
- It’s an easy skillet meal that contains both protein and veggies!
Ingredients
- Chicken: I recommend cutting two large chicken breasts into cutlets, or purchasing cutlets from your local butcher.
- Spinach: You will need 2 heaping handfuls of fresh baby spinach or about 5-6 cups.
- Mushrooms: You will need about 8 ounces (227g) of sliced mushrooms. Cremini mushrooms, baby Bella mushrooms, and white button mushrooms all work well.
- Parmesan cheese: This adds the best flavor! I recommend using a good quality Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Heavy cream: Forms the base of the cream sauce. Since this recipe is made without flour, heavy cream provides thickness where a roux is absent. For a lighter dish, use half chicken stock, or substitute the heavy cream with half and half.
- Butter: This combines with olive oil to ensure perfectly browned, flavorful chicken breasts.
- Olive oil: A bit added to the pan with butter prevents the chicken breasts from scorching.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and dried thyme.
How to Make Creamy Spinach Mushroom Chicken
If you haven’t already, cut your chicken breasts into cutlets by dividing each breast in half through the center of the thickness. Then preheat a heavy-bottomed large skillet (or dutch oven) over medium heat, and combine the seasonings in a small bowl.
Step one: Add the butter and olive oil to the skillet, and swirl to melt. Add the chicken breast and season with half of the seasonings.
Step two: Cook the chicken breast for 4-5 minutes per side, or until an internal thermometer reaches a minimum temperature of 165ºF (74ºF) in the thickest part of each piece. Remove from the skillet.
Step three: Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet, along with the mushrooms. Toss to coat them in the butter and add the remaining seasoning. Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Step four: Add in 3/4 cup of heavy cream to the skillet, scraping the bottom of the pan with the end of a wooden spoon to get all the browned bits incoporated into the sauce. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened.
Step five: Add in the parmesan cheese, and stir until melted. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream to thin the sauce.
Step six: Grab 2 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach (5-6 cups) and add it to the skillet, stirring to coat it in the sauce.
Step seven: Cook until the spinach is cooked down and wilted, stirring often. If needed, add a few. more splashes of cream to thin the sauce.
Step eight: Add the chicken breasts back into the skillet, taste and adjust the amount of salt and pepper, and spoon the sauce over each breast before serving.
For Serving
This creamy and tender chicken with spinach and mushrooms is a super flavorful dish, and is one of our favorite healthy meals. It pairs really well with subtle sides, and you can customize the meal according to your dietary needs (gluten free, low carb, etc.).
Here are a few of my favorite side dishes:
- Steamed veggies
- Cauliflower rice
- Hot cooked rice
- Roasted veggies (like my recipe for roasted asparagus and carrots)
- Pasta
- Low carb pasta
- Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower
- Crusty bread
- Roasted potatoes
- Garden salad
- Caesar salad
Variations and Substitutions
With chicken broth: If you want to make this recipe a little lighter, you can substitute half of the heavy cream for chicken broth, or use half and half in its place.
Mushrooms: Use any type of mushroom you like best. White mushrooms, cremini, baby bella, and chopped portobellos all work great. Specialty mushrooms will likely work just as well!
Chicken thighs: If you prefer dark meat, you can substitute the chicken cutlets for boneless skinless chicken thighs. Be sure to cook them to an internal temperature of 165ºF, which may require a longer cooking time than chicken breasts.
Using frozen spinach: Thaw your spinach and drain it in a colander. Use your hand to squeeze the spinach firmly, removing as much liquid as possible before adding it to the cream sauce.
With cream cheese: Instead of the heavy cream, deglaze the pan with 3/4 cup of chicken broth and stir 4-6 ounces of softened cream cheese into the sauce until combined.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Chicken
Equipment
- Heavy-Bottomed Skillet or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream divided
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 handfulls baby spinach 5-6 cups
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts in half widthwise, making two thinner pieces with each breast. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and dried thyme to a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until the pan is hot.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, and swirl with a wooden spoon or a pair of tongs until completely melted. Then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the chicken breasts in a single layer and sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken breasts, and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until each chicken breast reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and place them on a plate. Set aside.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Swirl to melt.
- Add in the sliced mushrooms and toss to coat them with butter. Add in the remaining seasoning blend.
- Sauté the mushrooms until they are soft and have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes. If the bottom of the skillet has significant browning making it difficult to cook the mushrooms, try deglazing the pan with some wine, broth, or water.
- Pour in ¾ cup heavy cream and use the bottom of the wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once most of the browned bits are scraped up, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet and stirring the sauce until it has thickened.
- Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese, stirring well until it is melted into the sauce.
- Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream to thin the sauce, stirring well.
- Add 2 heaping cups of fresh baby spinach (3-4 cups), stirring to coat the spinach in the sauce.
- Cook for 1-3 minutes, or until the spinach has cooked down and greatly reduced in volume. If needed, add a few more splashes of cream.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cooked chicken breasts back in. Spoon the sauce over each chicken breast, or toss them to coat them with the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve and enjoy.
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