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”.
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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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Color Cutting Boards
- Rolling Pin
- Garlic Press
- Liquid Measuring Cup
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!
This was excellent!! Thank you so much!!
I made this tonight. It was delicious!!
Absolutely delicious! I used chicken tenders and topped it with bacon!!
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.
Mind your own business
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.
“So grab a chilled bottle of white whine…” Okay this typo made me giggle. I did make this recipe before and loved it and now I’m craving it again. Don’t remember seeing that typo last time haha but I guess it was probably there.
Omg, that’s hilarious! I *wish* that would have been intentional, but it wasn’t. 😆 It’s fixed now. 🙃
Just curious if I can use frozen spinach since I have it on hand in place of the fresh. Yes I know fresh is best, but the selection was lacking at the store.
Yep, I’d definitely use frozen if that’s what I had on hand. Just make sure to squeeze as much water out as possible after thawing so it doesn’t turn your sauce green. :)
I like this recipe for using up about-to-expire canned chicken stored for hurricane preparation.
Really enjoyed this recipe! Quick, easy to follow and delicious.
Delicious! I subbed white wine for the chicken broth, came out fantastic. Thank you!
I remade this as a one-pot pasta by cooking the chicken separately, in small chunks because that’s what I had, putting it aside and reusing the skillet for the pasta, with chicken bouillon in the water. Near the end of the pasta’s cooking time, I wilted the spinach and added the garlic. Once the spinach was about done, I put everything else in the skillet except the milk, as it wasn’t needed, and the zest of a lemon with half of its juice. Exceptionally delicious! It took a little time for the cream cheese to melt, but that was the only real hitch. This was a huge hit with my husband, too!
Forgot the butter, but it didn’t seem to need it. I used 2 cups by volume of small spelt pasta and six oz of spinach with a little bit of grated nutmeg if anyone would like to replicate my results. Didn’t measure the water, just to cover. Canned artichoke is very expensive here (4.19 for 5 or 6 hearts in a can) but I was feeling nostalgic for the pub! Worth it :D
I am in college and I made this for my roommates and it was both easy and delicious! Will definitely be adding this to the college favorites!
Excellent. I followed the proportions and it was perfect. The sauce is excellent and I can see how I could easily change this up based on what I have on hand – Carmelized onion, capers, etc. Thanks!
Just a comment on the budget aspect: in what parallel universe does cream cheese cost 10¢/oz.?? I’m lucky if I can find an 8-oz. block for 2 bucks.
That aside, the recipe looks fantastic and i have it bookmarked!
ALDI is an amazing grocery store. :)
Not everyone has access to an Aldi. 🙄
I’m aware of that. :) No matter where I shop there is always the possibility that the recipe might cost you more or less than what I paid because there are no standard prices across the country. Prices vary from location to location, store to store, and even day to day within the same store. The prices listed are just for example purposes only. You can read more about how and why we calculate recipe costs here.
A family pack of cream cheese at Wegmans is also 10 cents an ounce… sorry that you haven’t been able to locate cheaper cream cheese, but yes, it does exist. And no need to roll eyes at the author for saying where she is able to find her cream cheese at that price.
A great recipe! I did make a few changes – I added more garlic (we love garlic) and more than a pinch of red pepper flakes (we love spicy) and a bit of lemon juice. I also added a few tbsp of cream (I had it left over and needed to use it up) and skipped the milk. It was so good my husband is already asking when we can have it again! Another winner.
This is THE best recipe. I tasted it just before adding artichokes and spinach and it was the perfect Alfredo sauce. I was diagnosed with celiac disease 11 years ago and miss alfredo and noodles so much. They always add ingredients to the sauce I can’t eat. This is it. Just.add.noodles. But I made it exactly as written as you are always supposed to do the first time you try a new recipe and ….YUM. How did you do this? Next time I will use shrimp and my husband will fall in love all over again. With the shrimp. Lol.
SO rich and delicious! I served it with some whole wheat linguine :)
I absolutely loved this recipe! Ended up substituting the cream cheese with half and half since that’s what I had on hand at the time, it still came out great served over some pasta. Now I have plenty of tasty leftovers for the next couple days :)
This is an A+ recipe! It’s easy yet not at all boring. I’ve been looking for more interesting ways to use chicken breasts and this was perfect. Thanks!
Wow, is this ever good! The only change I made was adding onion because I put onion in everything. This would be a great recipe for guests!
OMG, SO GOOD! I didn’t have chix breasts, so I just pan-fired some bone-in chix thighs. And I had this artichoke-spinach dip mix on hand, so I threw a TB of that in too. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T. I served the sauce on a baked potato– PERFECT!
Loved it! Yum Yum! I modified ever so slightly, i used boneless//skinless thighs and pounded out and cubed. Rest of the recipe to the note. Thanks so much for making me look so good. xo
This recipe is amazing! I made it for dinner last night with roasted asparagus and garlic naan. It was so easy to make and super delicious!
Great recipe and easy to prepare. Thanks
I made this and pretty much doubled all the liquid ingredients so I could have enough for a sauce for pasta. Still came out pretty thick considering BUT it was still delicious. Next time I might use some mozzarella in it along with the parm to give it some more gooey factor :)
We made this tonight as is and it was amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
This was SO GOOD! I am weird and make my partner rate all our dinners out of 10. This is his highest score EVER at 9.9. The sauce is “wacky good.”
I had to add a bit more liquid, about 1/4 cup additional milk, to get it to a more saucy texture. Only other modification was using artichoke quarters in brine because I couldn’t find them in water. The sauce was outstanding with white rice and asparagus. We probably skimped a little on the chicken but the sauce is really the star anyway. If you like spinach artichoke dip, this is the yummiest appetizer-turned-entree you’ll ever put in your mouth. I adore that it uses, besides the canned artichokes which last forever, things we ALWAYS have on hand.
We’re going to have to fight over the leftovers. Luckily we will be making it again next week. This recipe is my new obsession.
Delicious! Made it as written. Family loved it!
I made this tonight. Only a few modifications. I used chicken tenderloins because that’s all I had. I sauteed them until cooked, set them aside, cut them into bite sized pieces, then added them back in when the sauce was ready. I only had frozen spinach so I used that. Then, even though I did not serve with pasta, I boiled about a cup and a half of salted water and added a few pieces of rigatoni. Before I added the chicken into the sauce (at this point, the sauce is super thick) I added some of the starchy salted pasta water to thin it out, then I added the chicken. Lastly, I transferred it to a casserole dish, added some shredded mozzarella and broiled for a few minutes until the cheese was nice and bubbly. I served it over cauliflower rice. So yumm!!
Just made this and it is so good! Only changes I made were Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and shredded Parmesan instead of grated.
Served it over broccoli :)
Can I make this with greek yogurt?
Yes you certainly can make that swap!
Delicious and easy weeknight meal! I made some small changes (but I think this would be fantastic without any changes). First, I added diced onion before the garlic and cooked until the onion was softened. Then, I added sliced mushrooms along with the garlic and cooked to allow the mushrooms cook and expel most of their liquid. I served it over rice, but egg noodles would be great too.
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m only a freshman and this was super simple for me. I added olives and sun-dried tomatoes. It was really good, the whole family enjoyed it.
Made this the other night and it was delicious! Served with cauliflower rice for my husband (keto) and the rest of us enjoyed with egg noodles. Even better the next day. Definitely a keeper!
I made this for my family last night and we all loved it! We had some small red potatoes from the farmers market so I roasted those with rosemary and garlic and served those on the side of the chicken. I also doubled the spinach because it cooks down so much. I reheated all the leftovers together for lunch today and it was just as good. Will be making this one again, thank you.
YAY! Great when it’s even better the next day.
Long time reader, infrequent commenter. Oh my word, this was absolutely delicious. One of my new favorites from your site and that is really saying something. I cook a lot of your recipes. But man, this was out of this world.
Beth:
Made a slight variation of this for the third time{ I use a Trader Joes artichoke antipasto sauce], and we love it. Thank you for your excellent site Flavor.. Healthy ingredients….Quick and easy….& Economy…. Whats not to like? Keep up the great work. My only suggestion…gardening – I use your recipes with ingredients from the garden and it enhances the ease and economy of the whole effort.
Loved this! I bought a huge pack of bone in chicken thighs a few weeks ago to freeze so I used those instead of breasts and it came out well. I served it with roasted cauliflower and broccoli. I used low fat cream cheese and sour cream and it still came out absolutely amazing. Thanks for another great recipe!
My husband could not stop raving about this dish. I accidentally bought the artichokes in a glass jar with olives, carrots, etc. but used it anyway and it was great.
Similar taste to spinach and artichoke dip. Really good and easy recipe! I put it in corn tortillas…like having spinach and artichoke dip for dinner!
So affordable, so easy and so quick. Can’t wait to have this one again.
I prepped this the night before, without the chicken and without the milk. The next day, Easter, I cooked the chicken and then added some chicken broth to my pan to lift all the chicken flavor. Then I added back the sauce I’d made the night before. I served it over the chicken, asparagus and rice blend. Delicious!! Even the family member who avoids creamy sauces loaded his plate! I’ve marked this as a keeper. Thank you for an easy, memorable recipe!
This was simply amazing. Will do it again!
Wow! This recipe is delicious and great for low carb but can also be transformed into other things. I made the chicken and sauce exactly as directed and it was amazing! Everyone in the family loved it. Then I decided to throw some whole grain pasta and let it cook in the finished sauce. After that I cut up the already cooked chicken into bite size pieces and mixed it all together. It was just as delicious as the original version. Another amazing recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Wow. Another home run. Thanks, so much.
This was sooooo good. We added mushrooms when we added the garlic but other than than that made it to recipe and it was delicious. Thank you!
Thanks for such a great recipe, i really impressed by your yummy recipes. thanks again !
Made this tonight and got rave reviews from the family. This is a keeper!
Made this more keto by substituting cream for milk and serving over cauliflower rice – delicious!!!!
I forgot to add the well deserved 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this recipe
YUM! Made this for dinner and used left over rotisserie chicken(skinned and deboned) chopped it up and threw it in last thing. I also sautéed fresh sliced mushrooms with the garlic and OMGeeeeee! This recipe is so good and so easy!
super easy prep, this is a terrific recipe. I dredged the cutlets in flour with white pepper and salt before cooking. glad my daughter found Beth’s website, she made the cauliflower & chickpea masala and raved about it. will absolutely be back to try another of her dishes soon!!
So delicious! We doubled the recipe and it makes great leftovers from the fridge. We’ve eaten it with pasta or with kale salad and liked both.
Yum! Did add white wine. Have also made it with mushrooms
This was great! I served it over pasta and roasted veggies. It was definitely delicious, but next time I will add a few seasonings/spices for a little more flavor. I “cheated” since I didn’t have any sour cream, so I subbed in Greek yogurt (I’ve found them pretty interchangeable in other recipes), so my version may have tasted slightly different.
Made as per recipe, just happened to have the ingredients to hand. Was great.
Company Worthy. Absolutely scrumptious as is. I added sliced mushrooms and chopped sun dried tomatoes, to garlic, cause I had them. Also sliced kalamata olives to finished platter for company. This is decadent. Served with taglitelli noodle bundles and deconstructed Caesar Salad. This was amazing, can’t wait to have leftovers.
Reading through your recipe you call for two chicken breasts for 4 servings, but nowhere do you say to slice the breast in half (which I assume you did prior to putting it in the skillet as there are 4 pieces in it).
Just wanted to double check.
Ah, thanks for catching that. Yes, I cut each one into two pieces after pounding it. :) Fixing it now.
I made this recipe exactly as written for dinner tonight and oh my!! It was soooo good I literally wanted to lick the plate. I am really looking forward to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I served it over mashed potatoes and it was amazing. Pasta, rice, or veggies would also be amazing with this recipe. Huge win!
Slow Cooker?
Using chicken cutlets, instead of breast halves, I found this recipe to be a “keeper”. I’ve been experimenting with some different variation to your recipe. I now stir-in some Romano cheese at end of cooking, for a tangier cheese flavor. We love mushrooms, so I also added some sauteed portebello mushrooms, cooking them along with the garlic. This not only kept prevented the garlic from burning, but also added a twist to the original recipe’s great flavor. Since using your recipe, I found it to be very useful with leftover roast chicken meals. I briefly warm the chicken pieces in a little broth, covered, in a 350 degree oven. The pieces are then added to the sauce. The results is the same wonderful flavor.
Could I substitute frozen spinach as long as I drain the excess water?
Yep. :)
Tried this last night — it was wonderful! Added a little bit more than recommended of the red pepper flakes and a little bit of white wine to the sauce (impulse decisions … was drinking the wine myself) and it turned out well.
Could you use more cream cheese or heavy cream in place of sour cream? That’s not an ingredient I usually keep around.
That would probably work, although I haven’t tested it to know exactly how it will turn out. I’d try doing a combo of a little extra cream cheese and maybe a little milk. I’m thinking too much cream cheese or cream cheese and heavy cream might make it too thick. But again, hard to say without testing it. :)
Is there a way to omit the cream cheese, some family members it doesn’t agree with them.
Unfortunately I don’t have a quick substitution for that one. The cream cheese provides both flavor and thickening/stabilizing qualities for the sauce, so it would take some testing to find an ingredient or method to achieve the same results.