Creamy Chicken and Spinach

Tired of dry, boring chicken that takes forever on a weeknight? This Creamy Chicken and Spinach with Mushrooms is ready in about 30 minutes, smothered in a rich Parmesan sauce, and all made in one skillet for minimal cleanup.

You may also like Chicken Spinach Pasta and Creamy Paprika Chicken and Spinach.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach and Mushrooms is creamy comfort food that doesn't feel heavy or fussy. What it does deliver is the velvety skillet sauce, plenty of veggies, and protein‑packed chicken in a simple recipe that still looks date‑night worthy!

Why you'll love it

• Boneless Skinless Thighs for the Win! This 30-minute creamy chicken recipe made from thigh meat has the tastiest flavor combo of spinach, mushrooms and cream. Moist and tender chicken thighs!
• It's basically a grown-up version of canned creamy mushroom sauce, but much better than that and with the addition of thinly sliced chicken thighs!
• Mushrooms are in Balance: In this recipe, the sauce isn't too mushroomy, but it definitely has a bit of mushroom flavor. The spinach helps to balance the mushrooms. This will be a homerun if you want to try something slightly fancier than boring chicken cutlet dinner.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Ingredients

• Chicken: I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs because they are juicy, full of flavor and don't dry out like chicken breast. I recommend you do the same.
• Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is the best and easiest choice!
• Mushrooms: You'll need 12 ounces of fresh mushrooms. Button, white mushrooms, Bella or even Shiitake are all great choices. I do not recommend using canned mushrooms here; you need the beautiful, texture of fresh mushrooms for this recipe to work.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic along with salt, it adds flavor directly to the chicken thighs.
• Olive oil and butter: EVOO has just the right slightly bitter, slightly spicy finish for this dish and I always use salted butter.
• Half-and-half and Chicken broth: Both of these ingredients are important components in this mushroom sauce (with the little bit of butter and olive oil, it is perfect and indulgent enough). Vegetable broth is fine to use as well.

Plus Parmesan, baby spinach and flour. It's also important that all ingredients in this chicken and spinach dish are cut up in small pieces before cooking starts and that includes chicken.

How to make Creamy Chicken

1. Prep Chicken: Slice chicken thighs in thin, even pieces. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
2. Brown the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
3. Sauté Mushrooms: Add mushrooms to the same pan. Sauté 3-5 minutes until browned. Remove mushrooms from the pan onto a plate.
4. Make Sauce: Add butter and minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add flour next and then pour chicken broth. Next stir in half-and-half, and add parmesan cheese. Simmer 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning.
5. Combine & Finish: Return chicken and mushrooms to skillet, spoon sauce over top, and simmer 3 minutes to reheat. Garnish with parsley or thyme.

Tips for success

• Use a sharp knife to cut up chicken: Make sure to use one of your sharpest knives to cut the chicken thighs into thin slices. Cutting the chicken used to be such a chore for me until I discovered that I was using the wrong knife!
• Don't add more oil to mushrooms: When cooking mushrooms you don't have to add any extra oil to the pan. When heated, they release moisture fairly quickly and will brown in their own juice.
• Avoid Overcooking: Small pieces of juicy chicken thighs need less time on the stovetop. Heat olive oil over medium-high until simmering, then cook them undisturbed for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip and sear for another 3 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. Overcooking quickly leads to dryness, so timing is key.
• Note about heavy cream: If you really want to use heavy cream instead of the half-and-half in the mushroom sauce, you can increase the broth amount slightly and simply stir in about ¼ to ⅓ cup of heavy cream to the skillet just before adding the chicken to the skillet (keep the heat low when adding heavy cream).

How to make creamy chicken and mushrooms gluten free

Use cornstarch or rice flour instead of regular flour. Cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour, therefore you will need to use only ½ tablespoon cornstarch. If using rice flour, substitute 1:1, use exactly 1 tablespoon of rice flour.

Serving Suggestions

• This recipe goes great with Honey Roasted Carrots or Creamy Garlic Potatoes.
• You can serve it with any kind of rice or Garlic Butter Spaghetti for even more carbs.
• I also recommend serving it with either Buttery Mashed Potato Pie with Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese or Homemade Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
• But if you're looking for a light salad, try mixed greens with EVOO and this Balsamic glaze.

Variations and substitutions

• Use White Wine: The generally-less-rich broth can be enhanced with a splash of white wine, which will add a subtle depth of flavor and hint of welcome acidity.
• Add Sun-Dried Tomatoes to give it a more Tuscan look.
• Make it Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for gentle heat.
• Use Chicken Breasts: If they are sliced thinly, you can create similar dynamic as compared to chicken thighs due to the richness of the sauce.

Leftovers and Storage

• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container no problem.
• Freezing this one likely won't work out. Sauces with dairy are notorious for never turning out right after being thawed.
• I recommend reheating any leftovers on a low heat in a small saucepan so that the sauce doesn't separate.

This recipe was originally published in 2016. It's been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe.

Try these delicious chicken recipes next

• Chicken Provencal
• Jalapeño Peach Chicken
• Garlic Rosemary Chicken Thighs