Everything you love about the classic spinach and artichoke dip, combined with an easy, one pan chicken dinner idea! Pan seared chicken breasts are smothered in an ultra creamy sauce loaded with chopped spinach and artichoke hearts!
This is one of my Chicken recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I’m not sure when school starts where you live, but here in the Midwest, we have less than a month left of summer break. Less. Than. A. Month. What?!?!?
With “back to school” season looming, so is the pressing need for some quick and delicious dinner ideas.
And if you’re looking for a recipe to make on a busy weeknight, that is bursting with flavor, and tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant… boy do I have the recipe for you. Spinach and artichoke chicken!
It has all those amazingly creamy and savory flavors that you’d expect in a spinach and artichoke dip, combined with tender golden brown chicken breasts.
Plus, parts of it can be prepped ahead, leaving you with a meal you can get on the table really quickly!
How to make spinach and artichoke chicken?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Season, dredge, and sear chicken. The flour dredge helps the sauce really cling to the chicken. Once seared and cooked though, remove them to a plate.
- Cook garlic and deglaze pan. Make sure you use a wooden spoon (or something similar) to scrape the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits.
- Make the sauce. Melt the cream cheese, add spinach and artichokes, and add cream.
- Add cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Return chicken to the pan. Nestle them down into the sauce and spoon a bit of the sauce over the top.
Helpful Tip!
After searing the chicken in the skillet, don’t wipe it out or clean it. All those browned bits on the bottom of the skillet add so much flavor to the sauce. However, if you have burned, black bits, those should be discarded.
Variations of this recipe
- Thin sliced chicken breasts – to save yourself a bit of time, see if your grocery store carries thin sliced chicken breasts. They usually come in packages of 4, and are the perfect thickness.
- Types of chicken – this recipe will also work well with other cuts of chicken, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Extra veggies Рso many vegetables go well with the flavors in the spinach and artichoke sauce. Try adding some saut̩ed mushrooms, onion, or sun-dried tomatoes!
- Wine – for added depth of flavor, try adding 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the skillet after searing the chicken. Let it cook until it’s reduced by about half, then proceed with the recipe.
- No artichokes – I know quite a few people aren’t huge fans of artichokes, so you can feel free to omit them. I would add a bit of extra chopped baby spinach in it’s place.
- Nutmeg – it may sound odd, but try adding about 1/8 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg to the creamy sauce… it adds a subtle warm flavor!
- Extra cheesy – who doesn’t love a bit of extra cheese? Sometimes I like to sprinkle the skillet with more mozzarella cheese and pop it under the broiler for a minute or so. You can also skip the broiler and just cover the skillet for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
FAQ’s
I know it’s an extra step, but I think one that makes a difference! This creates a light crust on the chicken, as well as encouraging the sauce to really cling to the chicken.
For the best flavor and richness, I do recommend the heavy cream, however I understand some folks might not want all the fat and calories that comes with that ingredient. You can use half and half or whole milk, however they may take a little longer to thicken up.
Making spinach and artichoke chicken ahead of time
I find this recipe tastes best when made right before serving, but you can absolutely prep ahead, which cuts down on the time it takes to make this dinner.
How to prep ahead for this recipe:
- Chicken – The chicken can be sliced ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 1 day.
- Garlic, spinach, artichokes – These can be chopped and stored in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Spices – These can be combined and stored at room temperature until ready to cook.
Freezing
Due to the creamy sauce, I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Dairy has a tendency to separate and have an odd texture from the freezing and thawing process.
However, you can slice the chicken into thin cutlets and freeze them. That way, a lot of the prep work is already done for you!
Storage
Leftover chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
My Favorite Stainless Skillet!
This pan is definitely not cheap, but I wanted to be transparent that this is the pan I use in my kitchen. However, you can use any large and deep skillet/pan; I just recommend at least 10-12″ in diameter and/or a 3 quart capacity (this makes it easy to toss everything together at the end).
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour for dredging
- 1 – 2 Tbsp olive oil
Spinach and artichoke sauce
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 4 oz cream cheese softened and cubed
- 2 cups packed chopped fresh baby spinach
- 7 oz can artichoke hearts drained and diced
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese freshly grated is best
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare
- Add chicken breast to a cutting board. Hold your knife parallel to the board and carefully slice the chicken from right to left (if you’re a righty)… opening the chicken breast up like a book. Slice all the way through, so you now have 2 thinly sliced pieces of chicken. Repeat with other chicken breast.
Sear chicken
- Season chicken on all sides with salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, and paprika. Add flour to a shallow bowl.
- Dredge chicken breasts in the flour, on both sides, then place on a plate.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I like to use cast iron or stainless steel) over MED HIGH heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until it has a golden brown crust and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Make sauce
- Reduce skillet heat to MED, then add butter and melt. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Pour in chicken broth, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add cubed cream cheese and cook, stirring often, until the cream cheese has melted into a smooth sauce.
- Add in spinach, artichokes, and heavy cream. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until spinach is wilted.
- Stir in Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, stirring until smooth and creamy, and thickened to a sauce that will easily coat the back of a spoon. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper, per your tastes.
Finish
- Return chicken back to the skillet, nestling them down into the sauce, and spooning a bit of the sauce over the top of the chicken.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- If you can’t find a 7 oz can of artichoke hearts, feel free to use about half of a standard 14-15 oz can.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Amanda says
Delicious, as always! I love how I can always count on your recipes to be fairly simple and full of flavor. I didn’t have shredded Mozzarella so I substituted Muenster and it was delicious as well. Thank you!
Samantha B says
Phenomenal! We eat a lot of homemade Alfredo sauce, so this was a really nice retreat from that. The artichokes really enhance the cream sauce.
Next time, I think I’ll use some garlic butter shrimp instead of chicke .
me says
im a little confused about the first step– the chicken cutting??
The Chunky Chef says
You slice the chicken in half horizontally (so there’s a top half and a bottom half), because it helps the chicken cook more evenly, quicker, and you get a better chicken to sauce ratio.
Jay says
Excellent recipe! The seasoning for the chicken is perfect, and goes very well with the spinach, artichokes and cheeses. I definitely will make this again.
Helen says
This was delicious and came together so quickly. I doubled the quantity of seasoning as I am cutting down on salt. I would only use 1/3 cup of flour (all I needed to use). Thanks costco for the marinated artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. I will make again – next time trying the white wine suggestion and added capers (cuz I love ’em). Lovely recipe. Thank you!!
Allyson Zea says
Amazing flavor and so easy to make – thank you!
Sam says
Exactly what I was looking for to use up a bit of cream cheese, whipping cream and use my organic Swiss chard in place of spinach, and only had marinated artichoke hearts and guyere cheese, so I subbed those in with the fresh Parmesan!
Off the charts good!! I also cooked it in cast iron and used bone in thighs, so baked it 20 minutes, served with fettuccine.
Catalina says
Amazingly creamy dish! My family will go crazy over this chicken dish!
Sandra says
This meal is amazing! So filling and really delicious! Can’t wait to make it again!
Adele says
This looks so good. I have a rotisserie chicken to use up – do you think I could just make the sauce and add the cut up chicken meat? Wondering if it will have enough flavor without flouring and browning the chicken