Skillet Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Cream Sauce

Pan-fry chicken then smother it in a cream sauce with tomatoes and spinach for an easy meal using only one pan and 20 minutes!

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“The best-laid plans… often go awry.” That could be the quote of the week for our kitchen. Some nights, no matter how hard we try with the meal plan and calendar reminders and thawing meat ahead of time, dinner just doesn’t happen the way we want. That’s how we ended up with our meal of chicken with tomato and spinach cream!

Those nights of “I know we planned this meal but I really don’t feel like cooking/eating that” tend to be when we come up with some of our best experiments! And this meal came from such a night.

I had taken some chicken out of the freezer to thaw and make Chicken Fried Rice, but that sounded like so much work that night. So we started with the idea that we would make a chicken meal so it doesn’t go to waste. We searched the refrigerator for any other leftovers that needed to be used up.

We found some grape tomatoes, spinach, and heavy cream. Add in some parmesan cheese, seasonings, and chicken broth and we had the start of a decent meal here.

In the end, we realized this meal was similar to Chicken Basil Cream, only we didn’t use basil. We joked about calling it “chicken parsley cream” since parsley is our main herb, but that would be too confusing. So, we went with the longer but more descriptive Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Cream.

Since we weren’t quite sure what the end results would be as we were making it up as we went along, we did not end up with any sides. In the future, I would make it with some noodles (to put the sauce over) or a loaf of French bread to dip in the sauce.

​Simple Ingredients

Olive Oil

The olive oil is used to pan-fry the chicken. You can also use other oils good for pan-frying such as canola oil or vegetable oil. 

Chicken Breasts

Boneless skinless chicken breasts work well for this recipe. After pan-frying until golden brown, the juicy chicken breasts are then served in the gravy. If you prefer dark meat, though, you could also make this chicken dinner with boneless skinless chicken thighs, although the cooking time may vary. 

Salt & Black Pepper

Your basic seasonings. Just a little bit will help enhance the flavor of everything else in the meal. 

Parsley

When possible, fresh herbs are always better as they have more flavor. But, for this recipe, dried parsley works just as well. 

Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes were our choice of tomatoes for this recipe, but you could use a variety of juicy tomatoes to make the creamy sauce. Try cherry tomatoes for a slightly sweeter flavor or sun-dried tomatoes for a more unique flavor. If all else fails, you can add about 2 teaspoons of tomato paste or 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce. This will add the flavor of the tomatoes to your sauce without having pieces of tomato in there. 

Spinach Leaves

5 ounces sounds like lots of spinach, but trust me, it wilts down quite a bit when cooked. We like to use fresh baby spinach because we all like spinach, and it’s a great way to add those leafy greens to our dinner. 

Chicken Broth

The chicken broth adds more chicken flavor to the sauce and keeps it from getting too thick as it cooks. You could also use chicken stock or vegetable broth if you have it on hand. 

Heavy Whipping Cream

Heavy cream forms the base of the creamy sauce. It’s a key ingredient to get right, so I would not substitute it with anything else. 

Parmesan Cheese

It wouldn’t be a creamy Parmesan sauce without Parmesan cheese. Parmesan is best if you purchase it in a block and shred it yourself. That will have the most flavor without adding in the anti-caking agents you find in pre-shredded cheese. 

Serving Suggestions

• Add more seasoning such as Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, or other Italian spices such as oregano and basil. 
• Make it a tomato pasta meal by preparing some pasta al dente noodles and adding them to the sauce. 
• Serve with a side of crusty bread, fresh vegetables, and cauliflower rice with a glass of dry white wine.

Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Cream Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley (divided)
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 5 oz fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Preparation

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan, then season with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp of parsley. Cook the chicken, flipping as needed until it’s cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut about 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes in half. Chop the spinach if you prefer it smaller in the cream. I like to use my kitchen shears to quickly and easily cut the spinach leaves into pieces.

When the chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the pan. Saute the spinach for about 2-3 minutes, until it has wilted, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn to the pan.

Add the grape tomatoes and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Stir occasionally until it’s warm, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of parsley and bring to a boil.

Whisk in the parmesan cheese. Lower the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes. until the cheese has melted and the cream thickens slightly. Return the chicken to the pan and flip to coat. Serve immediately while it’s warm.

Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes Leftovers

Storage: Place any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 

Reheating: For the best results, reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat until just warmed through. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of chicken broth or milk while it warms. 

Recipe

Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Cream

Pan fry chicken then smother it in a cream sauce with tomatoes and spinach for an easy meal using only one pan and 20 minutes!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

chicken

|

heavy cream

|

parsley

Servings: 2 servings

5 from 8 votes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley (divided)
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 5 oz spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

Recommended Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Whisk – Wire

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet
• Place the chicken in the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp parsley and cook until done, flipping as needed
• Meanwhile, cut the grape tomatoes in half and chop the spinach if desired
• After chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan
• Saute the spinach for 2-3 minutes, until it has wilted, stirring constantly to prevent burning
• Add the tomatoes and stir for 1-2 minutes
• Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream
• Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp of parsley and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer
• Add the parmesan cheese and parsley
• Simmer for 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese and let the cream thicken slightly
• Return the chicken to the pan and flip to coat both sides and serve immediately

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Nutrition Facts

Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Cream

Amount Per Serving

Calories 860 Calories from Fat 567

% Daily Value*

Fat 63g97%

Saturated Fat 33g165%

Cholesterol 324mg108%

Sodium 2146mg89%

Potassium 1526mg44%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 62g124%

Vitamin A 9290IU186%

Vitamin C 37.6mg46%

Calcium 469mg47%

Iron 3.6mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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