This creamy chicken spinach is a quick, healthy and delicious meal idea the whole family will enjoy. It is made without any cream (not even the 'skinny' kind) and comes together in as little as 15 minutes!
This vibrant creamy chicken spinach recipe is surprisingly quick and easy to make. With only a handful of ingredients this skillet dinner takes minutes to prepare.
Most of us love creamy sauces but not necessarily the calories they usually contain. So is it possible to make a rich and deliciously creamy sauce without adding any cream, butter or eggs to it?
One hundred percent yes!
This recipe is ...
- Quick and easy to make
- Full of veggie goodness
- Low in fat
- Perfect with pasta, rice or quinoa
Creamy chicken spinach ingredients
I used skinless chicken breasts which only need to be cut into chunks and fried for a few minutes before you make the sauce.
The creamy sauce consists primarily of spinach. I also used naturally low fat and super delicious fromage frais (also known as fromage blanc cheese) for a bit of tang (though low fat yogurt works well too) and 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese (also low in fat) for creaminess. I also added a garlic clove, some onion granules and a small amount of parmesan cheese for more flavour.
For an extra garlicky finish briefly fry 2 sliced garlic cloves and scatter over the finished dish (this is optional).
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Start by frying the chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil for about 4 minutes until fully cooked
2. Transfer the chicken into a bowl (leaving the juices in the pan) and fry 1 finely chopped garlic clove and spinach in the same skillet until the spinach wilts down and releases water.
3. Puree the spinach mixture (along with the juices from the pan) then return to the pan and combine with the fromage frais, ricotta and parmesan. Heat up and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the onion granules and season to taste.
4. Return the chicken (along with the juices) to the pan and warm through.
5. *Optional step: In a small pan heat up 1 tablespoon of oil and briefly fry the remaining garlic slices until golden. Scatter over the chicken and serve.
Top tips for making creamy chicken and spinach
- Remember that chicken cooks very quickly so 4 minutes should be enough to ensure it's fully cooked, juicy and tender. You can always cook it a little longer once you've added it into the sauce (if your chicken pieces are quite large).
- Reserve the juices from cooking the chicken and add into the sauce.
- As the sauce contains some parmesan cheese, which is quite salty, I recommend adding the seasoning (if any) after you've added the parmesan. You may only want to add pepper.
- Best served immediately. Enjoy with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice or quinoa.
- Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.
You might also like
- Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- Chicken Breast in White Sauce (Low Fat)
- Sausage and Bean Casserole with Spinach
See also my collection of 13 healthy easy one pot chicken recipes!
Keep in touch!
If you make this chicken and creamed spinach recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Creamy Chicken Spinach Skillet (Healthy)
Equipment
- Skillet/medium size pan
- Stick blender
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken breast skinless, cut into small chunks
- 200 g fresh spinach
- 1 garlic clove grated, plus 2 more (optional, see Instructions)
- 3 tbsp fromage frais or low fat yogurt
- 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
- 15 g parmesan or similar, finely grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- fine sea salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ tsp onion granules
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in the skillet, add the chicken and fry over a high heat for about 4 minutes, turning over once or twice. Using a slotted spoon lift the chicken out and place in a bowl (leave the juices in the pan and do not switch the heat off).
- To the skillet add the minced garlic (no need to add oil as there'll be plenty of juices leftover from frying the meat) and the spinach and cook stirring all the time until the spinach wilts down.
- Puree the spinach (along with the juices) then return to the skillet, heat up and whisk in the fromage frais, ricotta and the parmesan until smooth. Add the onion granules and season to taste.
- Stir in the chicken pieces and heat up to warm through.
- *Optional step: In another small pan heat up a little oil and briefly fry the remaining garlic stirring all the time until lightly browned (take care not to burn it). Drizzle over the chicken and serve.
Notes
- Remember that chicken cooks very quickly so 4 minutes should be enough to ensure the chicken is fully cooked, juicy and tender. You can always cook it a little longer once you've added it into the sauce (if your chicken pieces are quite large).
- Reserve the juices from cooking the chicken and add into the sauce.
- As the sauce contains some parmesan cheese, which is quite salty, I recommend adding the seasoning (if any) after you've added the parmesan. You may only want to add pepper.
- Best served immediately. Enjoy with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice or quinoa.
- Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking.
Once again you have inspired me!?
You are spoiling me!
This looks so delicious, Monika! And what's not to love about a creamy, non-carb meal! I guess that my family would want to add the carbs though with bread or rice, but then it would still be a tasty as ever!
Thanks so much for bringing this to the FF party! I am sure that it is going to be gobbled up quickly! 😀
Thank you! Glad you like it, and you are right, it's been gobbled up already! Happy FF
Maybe, too much garlic for me but chick and spinach with cheese are delicious ?
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Sid
Thanks! Glad you like the flavours!
<3