Chicken and Spinach in Creamy Paprika Sauce is a hearty, but easy chicken recipe that the whole family will love! It’s amazing in flavor because of dry white wine and sauteed garlic.
I also love the delicious paprika sauce! It is so creamy and buttery, with just a mild tang from the fresh lemon juice. You can make this chicken and spinach recipe on a weeknight right on your stove top!
Easy chicken recipe
I like to use thin chicken breasts in this easy chicken recipe. Or, if my chicken is too thick, I usually halve them horizontally. I love working with thin chicken fillets. And I made a number of thin chicken breasts recipes, such as this Low Carb Chicken. Try it too!
Make sure to season your chicken very generously. I always use sea salt, pepper and paprika as my spices. Then I sauté my chicken with butter until golden brown. So simple!
Paprika flavored creamy sauce
This version of paprika flavored creamy sauce is my absolute favorite, I have been making it for a couple of years now. Maybe more. I love that it’s a colorful sauce but it’s also really filling, and welcoming on a cold day. My creamy sauce for chicken is incredibly simple to make using heavy cream, wine and stock. I also sautéed garlic and added juice of a fresh lemon and of course paprika. The great thing about this sauce is that you can also use any kind of vegetables, such as spinach if that’s what you have on hand!
I use flour to thicken the sauce a bit, but it can be omitted if you are gluten free. Chicken and spinach go very well together with the paprika flavor here. I love it!
What wine do you use in this paprika chicken recipe?
When I made paprika chicken, I used Pino Grigio. It’s a pretty good wine. However, any dry white wine that you like can be used. When we talk good wines, I also think about Chardonnay or Riesling. All these are great choices. They will produce an excellent flavor for the chicken sauce.
When cooking with wine, you should never use “cooking wine”. Cooking wine is loaded with sodium and is not tasty at all. But cooking with a regular drinking wine will always give you a better tasting dish.
What can I substitute for wine
- White Wine Vinegar. This is an ideal substitute for dry white wine. Made from white wine, it has many of the same flavor characteristics, minus the alcohol. Use ¼ cup vinegar + ¼ cup chicken stock to substitute for wine. This is my favorite substitute!
- Rice Vinegar works too in the same proportion as White Wine Vinegar.
- I do not recommend Apple Cider Vinegar because of its flavor.
- Chicken or vegetable stock. You can substitute stock for white wine entirely if you are sensitive to vinegars.
- Lemon. Because we are already using lemon, adding slightly more would compensate for the loss of flavor from wine. So simple!
What kind of skillet should I use
Make sure to use a good heavy skillet here, such as cast iron. It helps to have a large one too. I used 12 inch Lodge Pro-Logic Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet in this paprika chicken recipe. It’s well designed, has a helper handle and sloped sides. Overall, it’s a very sleek looking for cast iron! With so much room!
I do have other cast iron skillets, but prefer this one due to its size. It’s very large with even more space due to its sloped sides. Besides it never sticks or leaves weird black dots on meat like other cast iron skillets do. And it’s one of my most used kitchen tools!
If you are a lover of easy chicken recipes like we are, be sure to also try Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Pan-Fried Chicken!
Chicken and Spinach in Creamy Paprika Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts, (boneless & skinless)
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, (for seasoning chicken)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt and Pepper, (each for seasoning chicken)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Creamy Paprika Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon flour (sifted)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth, (sodium free)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, (juice of squeezed lemon)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Cooking Chicken: Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika, rubbing it evenly over both sides.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet (I used cast iron skillet) over medium high heat and cook on the first side for about 3 minutes. Flip, and turn the heat down to medium and cook for another three minutes. Remove and set chicken aside on separate plate.
- Making Creamy Sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the now empty skillet. Add garlic and cook stirring frequently about 2 minutes. Add flour using a sifter until well mixed. Add wine next and cook for 1-2 minutes to allow alcohol to evaporate.
- Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream and lemon juice. Add salt and paprika. Mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning (if necessary) at this point.
- Spinach: Add in the spinach and cook for additional 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Adding Chicken Back: Return the chicken to the skillet and cook covered for 2-3 minutes if your chicken breasts are thin; or for 5-7 minutes, if they are thick.
- Serve immediately.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
You might also like the amazing Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Linda says
This did not have the sweet flavor or the smokey paprika flavor i grew up with. Not sure why.
Still trying to find the recipe that fits the flavor memory.
Sarah says
If I were to add xanthan gum in place of the flour how much would I use?
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Start with 1/8 teaspoon (add it to the butter and garlic mixture before adding wine). Make sure to keep stirring, as it will form clumps if not constantly in motion while it is incorporated into the liquid. If the sauce is not thick enough, sprinkle a bit more while still stirring.
Shanny says
I made this with brown rice it was so delish…. even my very picky kid enjoyed it and asked for seconds definitely a winner.
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
I think brown rice is the way to go! I’m glad that your kid enjoyed it!
Jackie says
I don’t have heavy cream on hand. Would half n’ half work?
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Half and half will work. The only concern is the acidity of lemon – it might curdle half an half a bit. So I would go easier on the lemon if using half’n’half. Definitely no more than 1/4 of lemon.
Alexis Dumas says
How would this freeze? Thanks
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Cream sauces often break when thawing and end up grainy. This one also has lemon in it which is acidic and will definitely make the cream curdle after freezing. I would make the dish without heavy cream, freeze everything else and then finish with cream when you are serving it.
Deb says
I made this for dinner tonight – absolutely delious!! The sauce was flavorful and great with brown rice. Will definitely make this again.
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
I think brown rice is perfect with creamy paprika sauce!
Heather! says
This looks and sounds fantastic! My mouth is actually watering. LOL May I ask with what you might serve this? Does the recipe make enough sauce to justify serving over rice or pasta? Just veggies? Thanks for your ideas!
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Definitely double the liquids (wine, broth and heavy cream) to serve it over pasta or rice. Some readers added broccoli, others – mushrooms to the sauce and ate it as is.
Heather! says
Thanks! I did add more liquids, adjusting the paprika a bit to match, and served with rice and a spicy cauliflower dish. It was great! Really, really liked it, as did my husband. Thanks a million!
Heather! says
Just thought I’d let you know I have been making this recipe for about a year and a half now, and it ALWAYS gets rave reviews! It’s one of our favorites. I do still double the liquids and paprika (for sauce) and serve it over rice. Lately, I have also been adding more spinach and mushrooms. Will have to try the onions, maybe, too. It is very similar to a Butter Chicken dish I make–our OTHER favorite meal!–but with enough difference in spices that it doesn’t feel repetitive.
I made it again last night, it was amazing as always, AND we leftovers to look forward to for tonight! 🙂
Olga says
I’m so glad you shared this with me. I felt very useless today due to various things, and reading your kind words really made me feel good again:). Thank you!
Danielle says
To make this Paleo, would you suggest tapioca flour in place of the regular flour? And coconut milk over heavy cream? Unfortunately I can’t have wheat, corn, dairy or soy so I have to basically eat Paleo, :/
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Coconut milk is perfect substitute for heavy cream! As far as flour goes you can omit flour altogether. It’s there only for the texture to thicken the sauce and to make it look pretty:). It’s not an essential ingredient at all. And tapioca can become slimy when mixed with milk products.
Olwyn Fleury says
This was a delicious dish. Turned out perfectly! I did at least double the chicken stock and heavy cream. The sauce was a bit too thick. Flavour fantastic! Love smoked Paprika…and the whole thing comes together so quickly. Had 2 large chicken breasts which I sliced in half lengthwise to make 4. Also combined the salt, pepper and paprika into 1/2 a cup of flour and dredged the chicken in that before sautéing. Kept the paprika in place and made a nice crust.
Thank you for the recipe!
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Yes, sauce is thick! I’m glad you were happy with your adjustments.
Jen says
I threw in some sliced mushrooms I needed to use up – great recipe, I love the smoky flavor and the lemon in there too!