Skillet Chicken with Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce

06.13.2016

You can never have too many chicken recipes right? Especially when they are this good! I can’t get over how amazingly delicious this Skillet Chicken with Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken is! It is definitely one of my new favorite ways to make chicken! I made this over the weekend and my family enjoyed it so much so here I am again making it on again on Monday so we can have it again, and of course so I can share with you guys. You just can’t go wrong with skillet chicken and a good sauce!

You get this perfectly seared golden brown chicken covered in the most amazing, rich and creamy spinach artichoke sauce – which will likely remind you of a blend of your favorite spinach artichoke dip (my dip recipe is where I got the inspiration for this) and a lighter Alfredo sauce. It’s hearty, it’s filling, it’s comforting and it makes for the perfect dinner any day of the year! You’ll love that it is simple enough it passes for a quick weeknight dinner yet it’s fancy enough you could make it for guests on the weekend. I’ve already stocked up on ingredients (like canned artichoke hearts and Neufchatel cheese) for this so it can be a regular on my menu. I like that it’s a little bit lighter than the dip yet you still get all those delicious flavors – and I made it so there’s plenty of the sauce so you can have a some extra to serve over pasta. Winnah winnah chicken dinnah. This puts all those bland and boring chicken breasts recipes to shame! Make it soon! Then after you try this try mySpinach Artichoke Pizza – it’s one of my favorite and most popular pizza recipes!

Skillet Chicken with Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp flour
5 oz fresh spinach, rinsed, drained and chopped (3 1/2 packed cups)
1 (14 oz) can artichoke quarters, drained and chopped
1 1/4 cups milk
4 oz Neufchatel cheese, diced into small cubes
1/3 cup packed freshly, finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Pound chicken to an even thickness using the flat side of a meat mallet. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on bottom, about 4 - 5 minutes. Rotate chicken to opposite side, add remaining 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and continue to cook until chicken is golden brown on bottom and center registers 165 on an instant read thermometer, about 4 - 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm.
Melt butter in same skillet used to cook chicken over medium heat. Add garlic and flour and cook 30 seconds then add in spinach and artichokes and saute until spinach has wilted, about 1 minute. Pour in milk, while scraping up browned bits from bottom (don't worry if you can't get all of it, the golden bits will come up as it continues to cook). Add in Neufchatel cheese and parmesan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook and stir until mixture has thickened slightly and cheeses have melted. Stir in sour cream then return chicken to skillet. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve warm with cooked orzo if desired.
Recipe source: Cooking Classy