This creamy chicken spinach pasta recipe is a total comfort food dinner! It comes together quickly - it can be on your table in about 30 minutes.
This spinach chicken pasta is great for busy weeknights. The chicken melts in your mouth, and the spinach adds some freshness to a dish that's otherwise fairly rich.
You may also like my chicken bacon spinach pasta recipe - it's quite similar. Or my easy creamed spinach!
The little bit of lemon juice and Dijon mustard add some extra "je ne sais quoi" to the recipe. It's kinda hard to describe, but I love adding a little bit of Dijon to various recipes to give them that extra something-something. It's one of my favorite cooking tricks, and if you've made some of my recipes already, you're probably encountered my love for Dijon. 🙂
How to make chicken spinach garlic pasta
- Boil your pasta water (you can use any shape you wish);
- Prep your chicken. Cut it up, season it, and coat it in flour;
- Cook the chicken in the butter and oil until it's no longer pink on the outside, then take it out of the pan;
- Start the sauce. Add the garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, Dijon, and Italian seasoning to the pan;
- Finish cooking the chicken. Add the chicken, spinach, and cream to the pan and cook it until the chicken's done;
- Almost done! Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Stir in the parmesan. Enjoy!
Other creamy chicken pasta recipes: creamy chicken pesto pasta, this creamy balsamic chicken bacon mushroom pasta, my creamy Tuscan chicken pasta.
Hope you will enjoy this creamy chicken spinach parmesan pasta!
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 chicken breasts cut into small bite-size pieces
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Flour, for dredging
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 dash Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it al dente according to package instructions.
- Cut up the chicken and season it with salt & pepper. Coat the pieces with flour.
- Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan's hot, add the chicken and cook it until it's no longer pink on the outside. Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Italian seasoning. Return the pan to the heat and let it bubble for a minute or so. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chicken, cream, and spinach to the pan. Let it cook for around 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. You may want to reduce the heat if it's bubbling a lot or if the sauce is thickening too fast.
- Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Stir in the parmesan. Season with more salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- I've made this without the parmesan cheese before, and it will still taste good if you want to leave it out for whatever reason.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Numz says
Recipe was excellent the first time I made it. However, after I added milk to the stock, the sauce began to curdle a bit. Would you happen to know why this would happen ?
Natasha says
Hi! Milk curdles when it's cooked at a high temperature. I'm guessing that's why? That's one of the reasons why I use heavy cream in recipes like this one (I rarely use milk for sauces unless I'm making a roux).
Jason B. says
Just made this dish and it turned out great! Recipe read well. Easy prep. Taste awesome thank you
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! Glad you enjoyed it.
Ariana Zeeman says
Absolutely delicious! Only took about 30 minutes like the recipe said and turned out amazing! Definitely a new favorite for me
Natasha says
Yay!! So glad to hear it. Thanks for letting me know!
Judith Jackson says
Could you use sour cream,
Natasha says
I don't think it'll work out quite the same, and it'll be more tangy. I guess you could experiment, but sour cream can curdle quite easily if it boils.
Gillian Meldrum says
Delicious replaced the chicken broth with white wine
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Gillian! Thanks for writing me a review. 😀
Mary Osborne says
Can this dish be frozen and if so, does it need to be thawed before heating in a microwave?
Natasha says
Hi Mary! I don't typically recommend freezing creamy sauces. The texture usually won't be the same when thawed. Yes, you'd want to thaw it first if you want to microwave it. Personally, I'd skip the microwave and put it in a saucepan over LOW heat and slowly re-warm it to help prevent the sauce from separating. If it does separate, add a splash more cream to see if that will salvage the sauce.
Stephanie says
This is a huge hit at my house. Even my picky ASD kid loves it. I do sub stone ground mustard because it’s what we always have in hand and it’s perfect. It’s in our regular rotation and I’ve made it several times. Thanks.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so glad that it's a new favorite for you guys! 🙂
Donna says
Delish!!!
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Talia says
My favorite pasta dish to make 🙂 it turns out perfect every time and I actually don't add any mustard but it's great either way. Super easy and yummy.
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so happy to hear that, Talia!
Niks says
A really yummy recipe. I make pasta a lot and this is a nice change from regular pasta dishes.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Niks!!!
Natalie says
Way better with parm but needed some salt. Family loved it.
Natasha says
Hi! Yes, of course... I never make a recipe without adding salt. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Brooklyn says
Delicious! Has to be one of the best pasta dishes I’ve made.
Natasha says
Thank you so much!
Tereza says
I have made this recipe for about 20-30 times already! And I don't even have to look at the ingredients anymore, I just know. That's how much I love it. 😍🥰
Natasha says
Aww that makes me so happy!! Thanks for letting me know, Tereza!
Woxy says
This recipe was delicious. Probably one of the best pastas I've ever had.
Thank you!
Natasha says
That makes me happy! Thank you! 😀
Jadin says
Do you know the nutrition facts of this recipe? How many calories each serving size is?
Natasha says
Hi! I just added it for you. Please keep in mind that it's only an estimate... like I guessed it would be 2 tablespoons of flour used, and the size of chicken breasts can vary, and so on. Nutrition info is for 1/4 of the recipe. If you're requiring it for health reasons, I strongly advise you to weigh out the actual ingredients you're using, but this will give you a ballpark figure. Hope it helps! 🙂