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
- Prep Chicken: Slice chicken thighs in thin, even pieces. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- 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.
- Sauté Mushrooms: Add mushrooms to the same pan. Sauté 3-5 minutes until browned. Remove mushrooms from the pan onto a plate.
- 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.
- Combine & Finish: Return chicken and mushrooms to skillet, spoon sauce over top, and simmer 3 minutes to reheat. Garnish with parsley or thyme.
Creamy Chicken and Spinach
Creamy Chicken and Spinach in Parmesan Mushroom Sauce is your perfect comfort food as well as an easy midweek dinner! Using boneless and skinless chicken thighs guarantees juicy and tender result
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken and Mushrooms:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (thinly sliced)
- 10 oz mushrooms (1 package)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy Parmesan Sauce:
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup spinach
Instructions
Cook chicken
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat it over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until browned.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper right inside the pan. Remove cooked chicken onto a plate.
Cook mushrooms
- Add the sliced mushrooms and season them with salt. In about 5 more minutes, your mushrooms should look nice and moist, and dark.
- Once cooked, remove them from the pan. I put them on the same plate as the cooked chicken strips.
Make sauce
- To make the sauce, add butter to the pan, allow it to melt and then cook garlic in it until slightly browned - only for a couple of minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon flour (omit flour if you like your sauce to be a little more runny). Slowly add chicken broth, half-and-half and Parmesan cheese. All these will blend in very quickly.
- Add salt slowly and taste the sauce to make sure the salt level is to your liking.
Cook spinach
- Add spinach to the sauce and allow it to wilt. I added 1 cup of spinach, but you can certainly add more or less depending on your preference.
Combine everything
- Add the chicken and mushrooms back into the pan and mix in well. Serve warm and garnish it with parsley, if desired.
- Eat as is, or serve along pasta or rice.
Calories: 455kcal
Notes
- I used 12 inch stainless steel skillet to make this recipe. Any skillet is fine, though. Cast iron skillet is an excellent choice.
- I recommend using compact boneless/skinless chicken thighs for this recipe since we're cooking chunks of chicken. If you have small chicken breasts, they will work just fine and so will chicken tenders.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if you have concerns with salt content.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Chicken and Spinach
Amount per Serving
Calories
455
% Daily Value*
Fat
32
g
49
%
Saturated Fat
15
g
94
%
Cholesterol
136
mg
45
%
Sodium
856
mg
37
%
Potassium
815
mg
23
%
Carbohydrates
8
g
3
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
33
g
66
%
Vitamin A
1415
IU
28
%
Vitamin C
8.5
mg
10
%
Calcium
224
mg
22
%
Iron
1.3
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Vitamin A
1415
IU
28
%
Vitamin C
8.5
mg
10
%
Calcium
224
mg
22
%
Iron
1.3
mg
7
%
Tried this recipe? I would love to see your creation!Let me know on Instagram @whatsinthepanblog
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.
DJC says
I made this dish a few nights ago, it was so good I'm making it again tonight, it was that good ! We're doing keto, so I used extra almond flour instead of regular flour, otherwise, no other changes. Delicious ! 5 stars !
Olya says
Great adjustment with the almond flour!
Amber Cancienne says
I did as others suggested and added rosemary and thyme to the chicken and sauce. I used heavy cream with a bit of chicken stock and pasta water. I used lots of cheese so I also added a squeeze of lemon to lighten it up some. Served with tortellini. It was delicious! Thank you.
Olya says
My pleasure, Amber! I bet tortellini were excellent in that sauce!
Nic says
All i have is heavy whipping cream, can I use this?
Olya says
Yes, absolutely!
Tess says
Any suggestions for an alternative to the spinach for people who don't like spinach.
Thank you in advance.
Olya says
You can use basil (similar texture and size, different flavor), or chard (different texture and size, but milder flavor than basil).
Jodie Oflynn says
This was a wonderful recipe …I couldn’t believe how delicious it was…my Mother In Law was very complementary for this dinner…..I servitude over rice.. Thank you for your recipes!!
Olya says
Thank you Jodie! I am glad you and your mother in law enjoyed it!
Patricia says
This is a great recipe! Perfect just as it is. Thank you!
Kay says
I added 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and thyme. Also added a couple of sun dried tomatoes. Delicious!
Olya says
Yes for rosemary and thyme! Sun dried tomatoes are so yummy!!!
Teri says
I’m so excited to try this recipe tonight, I have everything in the refrigerator and the pantry to make it. Tonight your recipe with a glass of Chardonnay. Thanks
Olya says
I hope it will turn out amazing!
BKF says
This was a winner! Thank you!
Here are the changes that I made out of necessity and preference. (The base recipe is brilliant though. I will make this again.)
1. Used bone-in thighs that I had brined for about 3 hours, and dusted them with flour and browned them well before I started the rest of the recipe. The whole thing went into the oven when the sauce was together to finish the thighs. I nailed the thighs - delicious!
2. Added carrots and onions with the mushrooms to the pan that I browned the chicken in with some additional butter.
3. Added a flour slurry using the seasoned flour I dusted the chicken with instead of browning the flour in butter.
4. Dried herbs to the sauce.
5. 3 cups of spinach, sliced up. (I could have added a LOT more spinach.)
Thanks again for this recipe. I actually Googled Chicken Thighs, Mushrooms, Spinach and got your recipe.
Olya says
I am so glad you found my recipe and I love reading these details! I agree about the spinach 100 %. Adding carrots and onions is a great tip and brining!
Col Berg says
Whenever I go to the comments about a recipe, the same thing happens. I have no idea how good the recipe is. That's because all the comments tell you about the changes they made to the recipe which, in fact, then makes it a different recipe. Hahahaha.
But here's the good news. I made it exactly as per your recipe, having first found a website that converts US cups to European weights or measures, and I can confirm it was very tasty.
Now, I don't want to upset all those who tell you how they changed the recipe without first trying the original, so here is the change I made the second time I made it. Everything was exactly the same apart from the addition of some herbs. Oregano goes perfectly with with all the ingredients, adds a lovely aroma. I used dried as they do traditionally in Italian cooking. I made it again with dried oregano and basil, yum. When I tried fresh basil the basil was a bit overpowering.
Best of all I suggest you get a little jar of dried mixed Italian herbs. Any store should have it. It was the best addition to this recipe and also goes great with so many other things, pasta sauces etc.
Have a nice day as you say in the USA
Olya says
I liked that you made it as is on the first round, and added more herbs on the next one! No matter how I try I always modify others' recipes as well.