It’s no secret that I love spinach artichoke dip and I’m always looking for ways to make it into a legit dinner, instead of just an appetizer that I accidentally over-indulged in. For this Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken I’ve combined a rich and garlicky cream sauce with fresh spinach and chopped artichoke hearts, then spooned it over the skillet seared chicken breasts. It’s quick, easy, and totally impressive enough for date night. So grab a chilled bottle of white wine, take out a few slices of Freezer Garlic Bread, and let’s get this dinner started.
Want more ways to eat your Spinach Artichoke Dip for dinner? Check out my Spinach Artichoke Pasta, Spinach Artichoke Pizza, and Spinach Artichoke “Grilled Cheese”.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
Yes, absolutely. To use frozen spinach in place of the fresh spinach, just thaw the spinach and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add it to the sauce at the same point in the recipe as the fresh spinach is added in the directions.
How to Serve Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken
This recipe includes quite a bit of luscious creamy sauce, so you’ll probably want to serve this over either pasta, rice, or with some crusty bread to wipe up all that sauce. If you’re trying to keep things low carb, you can serve this chicken over a steamed vegetable, like asparagus or broccoli, which would also be awesome with the creamy sauce.
Does This Recipe Reheat Well?
Speaking from experience (I had leftovers for lunch today), yes, yes it does reheat very well! I think this one could successfully be meal prepped. And while I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, I don’t expect that it would hold up. Creamy sauces often don’t stand up to freezing and thawing.
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1.25 lb. total) ($6.29*)
- 1 pinch salt & pepper ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 4 oz. fresh spinach ($0.60)
- 1 12oz. jar quartered artichoke hearts in water ($2.79)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.18)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.22)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.40)
- 1/4 cup milk ($0.08)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan ($0.44)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic to prevent splatter. Use a mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the chicken out to an even thickness (about 3/4-inch thick). Slice each chicken breast in half to create two pieces each. Or, use thin sliced chicken breast filets. Season the breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium. Once hot, swirl the oil to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through (5-7 minutes each side).
- While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Drain the artichoke hearts and roughly chop them as well. Mince the garlic.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it to a clean plate and cover to keep warm. Add the butter and minced garlic to the skillet and continue to sauté over medium for one minute or just until the garlic begins to soften.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and add it to the skillet along with the sour cream. Whisk the ingredients together and continue to cook over medium, whisking continuously, until the cream cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the milk and stir until smooth again.
- Add the Parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and some freshly ground pepper to the skillet. Continue to heat and whisk for a couple minutes more. Finally, stir the spinach into the sauce, a handful or two at a time, until wilted (this should only take about a minute), then stir in the artichoke hearts.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the creamy spinach artichoke sauce over top. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1.25 pounds total) on a cutting board and cover with plastic to prevent splatter. Pound out the chicken to an even thickness, about 3/4-inch thick, using a rolling pin or mallet. Then cut each breast in half to create two smaller pieces. Or, you can buy those chicken breast filets that are already cut into thin slices. Season the breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium. Once hot, swirl the oil to coat the surface of the skillet, then add the chicken breasts. Cook until the chicken is browned on each side and cooked through (5-7 minutes each side).
While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop about 4 oz. (half of an 8 oz. bag) of spinach. Drain a 12 oz. can of artichoke hearts, then roughly chop them as well. Mince four cloves of garlic. Set the spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic aside.
Once the chicken has cooked, remove it to a clean plate and cover to keep it warm. Add 1 Tbsp butter and the minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté the garlic in the butter for about one minute.
Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve all the delicious browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth, so I can mix up small amounts like 1/2 cup as needed, instead of opening an entire can or box.
Cut 4 oz. cream cheese into pieces, then add them to the skillet along with 1/2 cup sour cream. Whisk these ingredients together and continue to heat, while whisking, until the cream cheese has fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Add 1/4 cup milk and stir until smooth again.
Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and some freshly ground pepper to the sauce. Continue to heat and whisk for 1-2 minutes more.
Stir the chopped spinach into the sauce, a handful or two at a time, until it is wilted. It should wilt almost immediately.
Then stir in the drained and chopped artichoke hearts.
Finally, return the cooked chicken to the skillet and spoon the creamy spinach artichoke sauce over top of each piece.
Serve while everything is still hot! 🤤
I served my Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken over some wide egg noodles with a big green salad on the side!
Absolutely delicious! I added some mushrooms with the garlic and we can’t stop talking about it . Will absolutely make again
My picky partner liked it and said, “we can do this one again!” I did add some extra salt and pepper but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Could you add mushrooms s and a red pepper with lemon juice without ruining the recipe?
Hi Carol, I think you could add mushrooms and red pepper. I would sauté them in the skillet with the butter after the chicken has been browned and removed and before you add the garlic. I’m not sure about lemon juice, though, as this might curdle the creamy sauce. If I were to test adding lemon juice I would probably add it at the very end.
It needs Sage, rosemary, thyme, and 1/4 cup of cooking wine.
I am anxious to make this today, found a recipe that calls for everything I actually have on hand so that was good to start with!
Will follow up after we eat, looks really good and very straightforward insturctions!
You CAN NOT, or you really SHOULD NOT give a 5 star review on something YOU haven’t made or tasted yet. It us truly misleading.
This was amazing! My family loved it and I can’t wait to make it again tomorrow. I’m going to surprise my daughter with it, she’s been asking me to make it for a week now! 😊
isn’t it fun when you cook something that your family loves and they request it again! way better than when they say dinner was ok, but not a favorite–kind way of saying don’t fix that again please!
This was amazing! My family loved it and. Any wait to make it again tomorrow. I’m going to surprise my daughter with it, she’s been asking me to make it for a week now! 😊
Made this and my son and husband went nuts. Its a great recipe for a dinner for company. Thank you!!
Made this the first time tonight. Really delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I did not have milk on hand, so I used heavy whipping cream instead and it worked great!
Made this recipe for the first time today Wow, it is incredible! Thank you for sharing!
Made this recipe for the second time today and it was phenomenal. I accidentally used a full cup of chicken broth rather than a half, but it didn’t thin out the sauce and maybe even turned out better than the first time! I also used reduced fat milk and cream cheese.
Made this tonight. Another excellent recipe!
I made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious, just the cream sauce tasted amazing! I served it over pasta which was the perfect choice. I only used one (large) chicken breast and I think it was more then enough. I also added a little mozzarella on top of my serving. I made sure everything was prepped before hand, which helped make the cooking process seamless.