Spinach Artichoke Chicken is a delicious and simple dinner recipe that you will love. The sauce is reminiscent of the popular dip and is bound to become a favorite in your house.
I could make endless amounts of one pan chicken dinners for you. Once you have a solid base, you can mix it up in so many different ways. Don’t miss my favorite examples at the bottom of the post.
This creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken is the perfect example. We pan fry chicken cutlets and then sauté onions and garlic to start a delicious and creamy sauce. The flavors are based on my Spinach Artichoke Dip that you know and love. Finally, we add in some fresh spinach and some artichoke hearts and serve it over pasta.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Chicken
Here is a brief overview of how this one pan chicken dinner comes together. For the full recipe including all measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken in half (read more on this below) and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side, or until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Sauté the onions and garlic. Add the butter to the skillet and melt. Then add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about five minutes.
- Make a roux. Whisk in the flour until there are no more streaks of white. Slowly pour in the wine, scraping up browned bits at the bottom. Continue this with the chicken stock.
- Finish the sauce. Whisk in the sour cream and the cheeses, allowing them to melt. Then add the seasonings, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Put it all together. Stir in the spinach, allowing it to wilt. Finally, stir in the artichoke hearts and return the chicken to the pan. Serve warm over pasta if desired.
Cutting Chicken into Cutlets
A key step to keeping chicken tender and cooking it evenly is to cut the chicken breasts into cutlets. Because chicken breasts are so thick, this simple step will decrease the cooking time and result in a more tender dish. You can ask your butcher for a pound of chicken cutlets, or cut them yourself following these steps.
- Put the chicken breasts on a clean cutting board. Place a clean hand on top of the chicken and use a sharp knife to cut the chicken in half horizontally through the thickest part.
- Butterfly the chicken open and cut the rest of the way through until you have two pieces.
- If there are parts of the chicken that remain thick, pound them until they are a half-inch thick or thinner.
Cooking Temperature For Chicken
Anytime you are cooking chicken, it needs to be 165 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part for food safety purposes. The best way to know exactly when your chicken is fully cooked so you can remove it from the heat before it is overcooked is to use an instant read meat thermometer.
Instant Read Thermometer
Making a Roux
A roux is made by cooking flour with fat (butter in this case) and is used to thicken sauces resulting in a smooth, creamy texture. It also helps to prevent the sauce from separating. While making a roux is very simple, a few simple steps will make it turn out perfectly.
- Make sure the flour is fully whisked into the melted butter and onion mixture and no white streaks remain.
- Slowly add the wine, whisking it in and not adding more until it is absorbed. You want to scrape up the browned bits when you add the wine, as those have a lot of great flavor.
- Same goes for the chicken stock. Star by adding it a little at a time. This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two, but isn’t a step you want to rush.
Cooking With Wine
The sauce for this spinach artichoke and chicken is enhanced with a small amount of white wine. Since the flavor of the wine shines through, I recommend using a wine that you enjoy the flavor of. Stay away from wines labeled cooking wine and stick with wine made for drinking. I go for a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, and like to keep those small bottles (they come in a four pack) in my pantry when I only need a small amount and don’t want to open a whole bottle.
If you or someone you are cooking for can’t have alcohol, you can swap the wine for another quarter cup of chicken broth. You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice to mimic the acidity that wine brings to a dish. The flavor of the dish will change slightly, but will still be delicious!
Buying Artichokes
If you’ve never cooked with artichokes before, you have a few options since they are sold in a variety of ways. You can buy them whole and raw, canned, marinated, or frozen. To keep things simple for this chicken and spinach recipe, I really like using canned quartered artichoke hearts. It is simpler than cooking whole artichokes and they are easy to keep on hand.
Be sure to remove any hard pieces, roughly chop the artichokes, and remove any excess liquid before adding them to the dish.
Serving with Pasta
This spinach and artichoke chicken can be enjoyed alone or served over pasta. I like to get my water boiling right away, so the pasta can cook as I prepare the rest of the recipe.
You can see this served with pappardelle here. It is a really wide flat noodle that is perfect for this recipe. The sauce coats it in the most delicious way. That being said, you could use many cuts of pasta here that would be delicious.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover spinach and artichoke chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat in the microwave or in a skillet over low heat until heated through. Serve with fresh or reheated pasta. Always use your best discretion when storing and reheating leftovers.
One Pan Chicken Dinners
If you try this creamy spinach artichoke chicken recipe or any of my others, I would be so grateful if you would come back and let me know what you think!
Spinach Artichoke Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil see note
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound chicken breasts sliced thinly in half (and pounded thin if still more than 1/2 inch thick) (453.6 grams)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28.25 grams)
- 1 small yellow onion diced small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup white wine (59.1 ml)
- 1 cup chicken stock (226.8 grams or 236.6 ml)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (113.5 grams)
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (56.5 grams)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded (25 grams)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon table salt)
- dash freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups baby spinach packed (90 grams)
- 14 ounces artichoke hearts drained and chopped (255 grams)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half. If there are parts of the chicken that remain thick (about more than a 1/2 inch), pound them thin. Pat the chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper on both sides.salt and pepper, 1 pound chicken breasts
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sliced chicken to the pan and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Remove the chicken from the pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Add the butter to the skillet and melt. Add in the onions and the garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 small yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in the flour thoroughly, so you can no longer see streaks of white. Slowly pour in the wine, scraping up browned bits at the bottom. It works best if you pour in a little, stir it in to combine, and then a little more. Continue this with the chicken stock. (Adding all the liquid should take less than two minutes.) Whisk in the sour cream and the cheeses, allowing them to melt. Then add in the paprika, salt, and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed.2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, dash freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 cup white wine
- Stir in the spinach, allowing it to wilt. Finally, stir in the artichoke hearts and return the chicken to the pan. Serve warm over pasta if desired.3 cups baby spinach, 14 ounces artichoke hearts
Lesli M Kostiz says
This sounds glorious‼️Gonna make it tonite‼️
I hope you loved it!