Kitchn Love Letters

It Wouldn’t Be Fall Without This Easy, Ridiculously Good One-Pan Creamy Chicken (It’s a Keeper!)

Kristina Razon
Kristina RazonDeputy Food Editor at The Kitchn
Before joining The Kitchn, I worked for Serious Eats. I was initially hired as the office manager, but quickly transitioned into a role as editor and recipe developer. Prior to my time there, I spent more than 10 years in professional kitchens in Washington, D.C.; Boston; and New York City. I’ve worked as a line cook, baker, culinary teaching assistant, pastry chef, and kitchen manager. I have an MS in Sustainable Food Systems from Green Mountain College, and a Culinary Arts Certificate from Boston University. I'm the author of a self-published ebook titled A Guide to Northeast Grains, an introductory guide to baking with regional flours — specifically buckwheat, einkorn, emmer, rye, spelt, and triticale. I love teaching home cooks how to make good food in their kitchens, whether it’s sharing a recipe for a quick and easy dinner or a super-delicious dessert, or writing about how to make the best tomato toast.
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published Sep 28, 2024
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overhead shot of creamy spinach chicken in a green cast iron
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

I make dinner five nights a week. If you multiply that number by 52, you get 260, which is A LOT of dinner. As a mom to two hungry yet picky eaters, I have a whole checklist of demands to satisfy. That said, I always win whenever I serve this Creamy Spinach Chicken for dinner. It’s one-pan, involves chicken, is packed with flavor, and most importantly (at least if you ask my kids) can be served with pasta. 

Get the recipe: Creamy Spinach Chicken

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Janette Zepeda

What Makes Creamy Spinach Chicken So Good 

While I’m down to cook a more involved chicken dinner almost any night of the week, time truly gets away from me as a working parent. This recipe calls for chicken breasts and takes only 35 minutes from start to finish — that’s it. Even better, it opts for cutlets, rather than thicker breasts, which is a genius move. This cut absorbs the flavor of the dish well, negating any blandness that chicken breast is typically known for. 

But, what really takes this dish over the top is the creamy and ridiculously flavorful sauce. Once you’ve cooked the chicken, add sliced onion, butter, and salt to the same pan, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom. Then hit it with garlic, red pepper flakes, and a mix of chicken broth, heavy cream, sour cream, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder. The surprising addition of sour cream helps thicken the sauce while also giving it a slight tang, making the whole thing extra delicious. And a tablespoon of soy sauce (which makes almost anything taste better IMO — just ask my mom) adds depth, salinity, and a little bit of “je ne sais quoi.” 

Finish the dish with some wilted baby spinach, return the chicken to the pan (I like to slice the chicken before I do this so it’s easy for my kids to eat), and get ready to seriously impress everyone around the table. 

Get the recipe: Creamy Spinach Chicken

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