Spinach Mushroom Chicken

Spinach mushroom chicken is a simple, one-pan dish that is short on ingredients and big on flavor.  Tender chicken, fresh baby spinach, and sauteed cremini mushrooms marry together in a delightful white wine garlic sauce that you’ll want to mop up with some crusty bread.  In under an hour, this healthy and delicious meal can be ready and on your table.

I am always looking for healthy-ish dishes that can be made quickly with just a few ingredients.

Chicken with spinach and mushrooms ticks all three of those boxes.

Because the chicken cutlets are pounded thin they can be cooked in under ten minutes, as can the mushrooms and the sauce.  

This whole dish comes together really quickly, and the best part is that it’s made all in one pan resulting in minimal dishwashing!

The sauce in this spinach mushroom chicken dish is delicious so make sure you serve it with some crusty bread or even rice.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Using the dull end of a meat tenderizer, pound 2 pounds of chicken cutlets flat and slice them into 3-inch long pieces.  Slice the 1 pound of mushrooms and 5 cloves of garlic.
2. Pat the chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.  Then, dredge the chicken in flour on all sides and shake off the excess.  Note:  Placing the dredged cutlets on parchment paper works well for prepping and prevents sticking.  Discard any leftover flour.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the chicken pieces.  Take care to not crowd the pan.  This may require that you work in batches depending on the size of your pan.  Sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side until cooked through.  Then, place them on a plate and lightly tent with foil to stay warm.  
4. To the same pan, add the mushroom slices and cook until browned (about 5-7 minutes). 
5. Once brown, move the mushrooms to the side of the pan, add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes longer.  Add a touch of olive oil if the pan is dry.
6. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, then add 3/4 cup of wine and 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock to the pan and turn the heat to high. 

7. With a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the liquid reduces by half (about 3-5 minutes) then turn the heat down to medium.
8. Add the chicken and all 12 ounces of spinach to the pan.  
9. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for 2-3 minutes to wilt the spinach and warm the chicken through.
10. Taste test the sauce and add more salt or pepper if required.  

11. If the sauce is too loose, add half of the optional cornstarch mixture (2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 ounces of water) to the pan and cook over medium-high until thickened (about 2 minutes).  If it’s still too loose, add the remaining mixture.  Once satisfied with the consistency, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat.
12. Add 3 tablespoons of cubed butter and stir until melted.  Serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce and enjoy!

Top tips for superb spinach mushroom chicken

• The chicken.  I recommend using store-bought thin chicken cutlets if you’re looking to save on time.  You can also buy whole chicken breasts, fillet them, and pound them to about a 1/2″ thick.  This will allow for even cooking and the chicken will only need a few minutes per side to cook. If you’d like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts, you can do so but they may need to cook a bit longer (roughly 5-6 minutes per side).
• The mushrooms.  I love cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms for this dish because they’re economical and taste great.  You can use white button mushrooms, or any more exotic mushrooms if you’d like.  A mix of different mushrooms would be nice but not necessary.  When cooking the mushrooms, allow them to brown and release their liquid which will take about 5-7 minutes.
• The wine.  I use wine in many of my recipes, like chicken involtini, and am often asked if it can be substituted.  For chicken with spinach and mushrooms, you can definitely omit the wine and use more chicken stock and even a touch of lemon juice in its place.  If you are using wine, try a sauvignon blanc or another dry white wine.
• The sauce.  The sauce is an important part of this dish so you want to make sure you get it right.  It shouldn’t be runny, but should have some thickness to it.  If you find your sauce is too thin, you can make a cornstarch slurry from 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 ounces of water.  Adding this slurry to the sauce and letting it cook for a few minutes will definitely thicken it up.  Alternatively, you could add heavy cream to the sauce if you’d like.
• Leftovers.  Left-over spinach mushroom chicken can be saved for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and reheated prior to serving.  Another way to serve this leftover is on hero bread (or garlic bread) with some melted fontina or mozzarella cheese.  So good!

More great chicken dishes

Here are a few more of our favorite chicken recipes:

• Sun-dried tomato chicken – Chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce with spinach.
• Chicken pizzaiola – Chicken breasts with bell peppers and mushrooms in a white wine tomato sauce.
• Chicken Marsala – Mushrooms, chicken, and smoked prosciutto in a Marsala wine sauce.
• Chicken Francese – Chicken in a buttery white wine lemon sauce.

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