Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
, Published Jan 17, 2026
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This creamy chicken spinach pasta is a comforting, one-pan dinner inspired by creamed spinach. Packed with tender chicken thighs, sautéed mushrooms and a parmesan cream sauce, it’s the ultimate weeknight chicken dinner winner!
Looking for a cozy, crowd-pleasing dinner that tastes delicious and comes together in under 30 minutes? This creamy chicken and spinach pasta is rich, flavorful and tastes heavenly. Inspired by classic creamed spinach, it’s a satisfying dish you’ll want to add to the weekly rotation.
If you love creamed spinach, this quick pasta recipe stakes things to the next level! Juicy chicken thighs, golden sautéed mushrooms, ribbons of wilted spinach, and a lush cream sauce cling to every bite of pasta.
Creamed spinach is a steakhouse side dish favorite – and this year we added it to our Christmas dinner to everyone’s delight. Well if you love it as much as I do, you will fall head over heels for this creamy, hearty pasta that adds savory chicken and mushrooms to the classic creamed spinach base.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs: Juicy, flavorful and hard to overcook – perfect for rich sauces. You can also use diced skinless chicken breasts if you prefer or just toss in some cooked rotisserie chicken.
- Shallots and leeks: Mild and sweet, they simply melt into the creamy sauce adding depth and richness. A small sweet onion can be used instead of the shallots if preferred.
- Garlic: Rich garlicky flavor is a must in this recipe!
- Mushrooms: Add umami depth and hearty texture. If you are not a fan you can simply leave them out.
- Seasoning: Salt, garlic powder, mustard powder and plenty of freshly grated nutmeg bring an irresistible creamed spinach coziness.
- Chicken broth or stock: replace some of the cream for a lighter sauce that never feels heavy.
- Cream: a touch of heavy cream adds a luxurious touch to the sauce.
- Fresh baby spinach: Wilted into the sauce for flavor and nutrition. Frozen spinach can also be used – take a look at the recipe card notes.
- Grated parmesan: Melts into the sauce, adding saltiness and umami.
- Pasta: Short pasta shapes like penne, fusilli or rigatoni work best here.
How to Make my Chicken Spinach Pasta
Prepare the pasta
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the salt and your choice of pasta and cook according to pack instructions or until al dente. Set a timer – you will be making the creamy chicken spinach sauce as it cooks!
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the starchy pasta water.
Make the sauce
- Trim the chicken of any fatty bits and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté the shallots and leeks over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes then stir in the garlic.
- Push the vegetables to one side and add the diced chicken, salt, garlic powder, mustard powder and nutmeg. Turn up the heat to medium and brown them chicken for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking for 5 minutes or so.
- Stir in fresh chopped spinach until it starts to wilt, then add the cream and simmer gently over low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water if you want to cut down on the amount of cream in the sauce – the starch released from the pasta will make it silky and delicious.
- Add the grated parmesan and let it melt into the sauce. Have a taste and add a little salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Put it all together
- Combine the drained pasta with the sauce, so that the pasta is coated in the creamy garlicky spinach goodness.
- Add some fresh lemon zest to brighten everything up and sprinkle with some extra grated parmesan cheese for good luck plus a pinch of red pepper flakes for a touch of heat. Serve with garlic dough balls or garlic bread and have yourselves a little feast 😉
Recipe Variations and Storage
- Vegetarian: Leave out the chicken and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Consider adding some more veggies like chopped asparagus or frozen peas to create a fresh light veggie pasta that still full of flavor.
- Seafood twist: Replace the chicken with shrimp and you have a gorgeous variation that cooks even quicker! Simply stir the shrimp in at the end and cook until they JUST turn pink. A squeeze of lemon juice goes well in this version.
- Leftovers and storage: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or microwave with a splash of cream or stock to loosen the sauce. This recipe is not suitable for freezing due to the creamy sauce which can turn grainy when thawed and reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer to use frozen instead of fresh spinach, thaw it first, place in a cheesecloth or clean linen towel and squeeze out the excess water before folding into the sauce.
Yes absolutely. If you have the time, toss it with half a teaspoon of cornstarch help keep it tender before cooking.
Short shapes like penne or fusilli work well. But you can use whatever you like really – your dinner, your choice!
You can prep the sauce components ahead and reheat before tossing in some freshly cooked pasta. Reserve some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Craving creamy comfort? This speedy chicken spinach pasta recipe is the weeknight hero you didn’t know you needed. If you make it, don’t forget to rate and comment below!
Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz (300g) dried pasta penne or rigatoni
- 1½ tsp salt
- 6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 large shallots or 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 medium leeks white and light green parts, finely diced
- 1 cup (120g) mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp mustard powder or Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp grated nutmeg freshly grated, ideally
- ½ cup (125ml) chicken stock or broth
- 6 cups (240g) fresh baby spinach shredded
- ½ cup (120ml) cream heavy / double
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the pasta
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the salt and your choice of pasta and cook according to pack instructions or until al dente. Set a timer – you will be making the creamy chicken spinach sauce as it cooks!10 ½ oz (300g) dried pasta, 1½ tsp salt
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the starchy pasta water.
Make the sauce
- Trim the chicken of any fatty bits and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for now.6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, 1 tsp salt , ½ tsp black pepper
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté the shallots and leeks over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 3 large shallots, 2 medium leeks
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes then stir in the garlic.1 cup (120g) mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic
- Push the vegetables to one side and add the diced chicken, garlic powder, mustard powder and nutmeg. Turn up the heat to medium and brown the chicken for a few minutes.1 tsp mustard powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp grated nutmeg
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking for 5 minutes or so.½ cup (125ml) chicken stock
- Stir in fresh spinach until it starts to wilt, then add the cream and simmer gently over low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water if you want to cut down on the amount of cream in the sauce – the starch released from the pasta will make it silky and delicious.6 cups (240g) fresh baby spinach, ½ cup (120ml) cream
- Add the grated parmesan and let it melt into the sauce.4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- Combine the drained pasta with the sauce, so that the pasta is coated in the creamy garlicky spinach goodness.
- Add some fresh lemon zest to brighten everything up and sprinkle with some extra grated parmesan cheese for good luck plus a pinch of red pepper flakes for a touch of heat. Serve with garlic dough balls or garlic bread and have yourselves a little feast 😉1 tsp lemon zest, salt and pepper, pinch red pepper flakes
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
