Dry pasta cooks up perfectly tender in a luscious sauce with chicken, spinach and tomatoes in this one pot wonder. This utterly delicious Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta is on the table in about 30 minutes!
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you know I’m pretty crazy about fast and easy one-pot meals. It stems from the “life is complicated, dinner shouldn’t be” philosophy that I’ve adopted over the years. This is what raising four boys while working both in and out of the home does to a woman!
After serving many of these simple, delicious meals to my family, I’ve determined that complicated does not necessarily mean better.
Ever since the momentous day when I discovered you could throw dry pasta into a pot with a slew of other ingredients and end up with a delicious result, things have never quite been the same around here. It led me to experiment with all kinds of different pastas, proteins, and veggies and this Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta has risen to the top as one of my favorites. My family loves this easy meal! It’s been a regular on our menu around here for so many years.
The funny thing is, I could work for hours in the kitchen to create a special meal and the next night pull off this easy chicken pasta and the crowd goes crazy. Go figure!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – You’ll need 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Spinach – Pick up a 5-ounce bag of fresh baby spinach. It will seem like too much but trust me, spinach has a way of almost disappearing as it wilts so you’ll need the entire bag.
- Chicken broth – I recommend using low sodium broth – always – and season with salt, to taste. I use reduced sodium Better Than Bouillon so that I can mix up exactly how much broth I need for each recipe.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes – I prefer flavorful fire roasted tomatoes over regular diced tomatoes for this recipe. I just love that hint of smokiness.
- Penne – Uncooked, dry penne cooks up perfectly in this one pot pasta. You can substitute a different short pasta but I think penne is the best choice. While you can use a measuring cup, I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale with a bowl to ensure you are using the correct amount of pasta in recipes like this one.
- Onion – Diced yellow or white onion.
- Mozzarella and parmesan – A little shredded part-skim mozzarella adds a luscious layer but this is not an overly cheesy dish. Grated or shaved Parmesan is the finishing touch.
- Half and half – Combines with the diced tomatoes and mozzarella to create a light cream sauce.
- Oil – Extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic – Minced garlic,
- Seasoning – The pasta is simply seasoned with a little Italian Seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. If you want a spicy pasta, add additional crushed red pepper.
How to Make Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta
Sauté the seasoned chicken in oil until browned. Transfer to a dish and set aside. Cook the onion and garlic until softened and lightly browned. Add the broth, tomatoes, pasta, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked chicken and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is tender. Stir in the half and half and mozzarella. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh spinach.
- Heat the oil in deep 12-inch skillet and add the chicken. Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, a touch of salt, and pepper, and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add additional olive oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook until softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, pasta, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Stir in the cooked chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the skillet, and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in half and half and mozzarella and simmer for minute or two until warmed through and the cheese has melted.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh spinach until it wilts from the heat of the pasta. Top with Parmesan and serve.
FAQs and Valerie’s Tips
I have found penne to be the best choice but you can substitute any type of short pasta you love. Bowtie, shells, or fusilli will all work.
I recommend using fresh baby spinach, when at all possible. Frozen spinach can be used in a pinch but be sure it is fully defrosted and wring out as much of the liquid as possible before adding it to the pasta.
Yep! Other readers have added mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, and more with great success. I recommend reading the reader comments section to see what has worked for others.
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
- Shrimp and Spinach Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Skillet Sausage Pasta
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Meaty Tortellini Skillet
Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces penne pasta (uncooked), approximately 2 ½ cups
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (part skim or whole), shredded
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a deep 12-inch skillet or sauté pan and place it over MEDIUM heat. Add the chopped chicken and cook, stirring frequently. Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, a touch of salt, and black pepper, and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Add the broth, tomatoes, pasta, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the cooked chicken and bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the half and half and mozzarella and simmer for minute or two until warmed through and the cheese has melted. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh spinach until it wilts from the heat of the pasta. Top with Parmesan and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on October 23, 2014. It has been updated with new text and images.
Fast and Easy Dinner Recipes
I’m trying to track portions and calories so can you provide how much is equal to 598 calories? I couldn’t find it in the recipe.
The nutrition info is calculated for one serving which would be equal to 1/4 of the recipe.
We loved this, adding it to my pasta recipes. Next time trying with Shrimp. Just one question is there away to get the spinach to not be so chewy.
Hi Elizabeth. I’m not sure how to address the chewy spinach since that hasn’t been an issue for me but I’d suggest allowing it to cook a bit longer to soften more or chopping it before adding it to the skillet so the pieces are smaller. So glad you liked the dish!
I loved this recipe but did not have all the ingredients on hand so I tweeked it up and it was delicious! I traded half the chicken stock for white wine and replaced the pasta for orzo and replaced the mozzarella for goat cheese! Fabulous!
Orzo and goat cheese? Yum! Sounds delicious, Ann. 🙂
I do not see chicken stock in the recipe Creamy chicken Pasta with Bacon (and spinach). Perhaps this is a different recipe???
This recipe is for Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta. I think you may be in the wrong place 🙂
Hi Valerie! Do I use 80z of penne pasta?
Hi Michele. The recipe calls for 8 ounces or approximately 2 1/2 cups.
I made this tonight following all of the directions. I had to improvise with Italian seasoning as mine was way past expiration! I used fresh basil and fresh parsley, adding them later in the cooking process. Also used fresh mozzarella as I didn’t have shredded. I did use all of the liquid suggested and the correct amount of pasta, but it came out very watery. After sitting awhile after we ate, the liquid seemed to have absorbed a bit more. Was I supposed to drain the tomatoes? It made plenty for another meal as there are only two of us, and it tasted great! I think 5 oz. of spinach is not enough either, but that can be adjusted. I will try this again, perhaps letting it sit for a few minutes after cooking. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Maureen.
There should be a bit of liquid in the finished dish but if you feel it was too much I’d suggest adding a bit more dry pasta next time. There’s no need to drain the tomatoes.
YAHOO! Another one pot dinner recipe. My husband loved it and he is super critical, coming from an Italian family. I was lazy and used pre-cooked chicken strips, saving one step. But I did brown 4 strips of bacon to add to the mix. I also used diced canned tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic. YUM!Thanks so much for this!
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made it four times now and it’s a winner.
We loved this! Adding it to our menu of commonly cooked dinners. My 5 yr old and picky adult child loved this. Thanks!
This sh was fantastic! I didn’t add the half and half and it was very creamy; saved calories!
Hi can you please tell me what half and half is please
Hello Leigh. Half and half is a blend of half whole milk and half light cream. It is too light to be whipped but I love to substitute it for heavy cream in pasta and soup recipes to cut down on the fat content a bit. It’s still plenty rich and works wonderfully in recipes like this. Feel free to sub heavy cream if you wish.
OMG this was so delicious! Absolutely the best so easy and everyone loved it!
Just made it! It was fantastic!!