This Chicken & Spinach with Lemon Cream Sauce title may make this recipe seem hard, but trust me, it is so easy. And the flavors meld together perfectly. Each bit of spinach is infused with the flavors is divine.
And according to Vegetarian Times:
Cooked Spinach Benefits: When you eat spinach that has been heated, you will absorb higher levels of vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron. Important carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, also become more absorbable.
https://www.vegetariantimes.com/health-nutrition/nutritionist-advice/nutrition-face-off-raw-vs-cooked-spinach/
I highly recommend adding spinach into more dishes. I love putting it in my spaghetti sauce. I blend it up(along with mushrooms), so my kids are more likely to actually eat it. This way, they think the green specks are just Basil!
Back to this yummy dish. I love to use the Kirkland Brand of organic chicken stock. I used to make my own chicken stock all the time. Then the pandemic hit, and I couldn’t always get my organic whole chickens to make my stock. When I have homemade I use it, when I don’t, I always use the Kirklands organic stock.
My kids prefer this dish on rice. Since switching to gluten free pasta, my non-gluten free kids haven’t really been happy with that change. So, for this dish we always serve it over rice. I don’t usually have the patience to wait for the sauce to thicken, which is also another great reason to serve over rice.
Chicken & Spinach with Lemon Cream Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large skillet with lid
- 1 cheese grater
- 1 cutting board
- spoon, spatula, knife, etc
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts, sliced
- 1 tsp paprika, divided 3/4, 1/4
- sea salt/black pepper
- 4 TBSP butter, divided if you prefer you can use olive oil, but I love the flavor the butter adds; 3 TBSP, 1 TBSP
- 1/4 C white cooking wine
- 1 1/2 fresh lemons, juiced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 C organic chicken stock
- 3/4 C whipping cream I prefer NOT to use heavy
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 C baby spinach, washed
- 1/3 C fresh parmesan cheese
- sea salt/black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts into thin strips. Season with paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. I don't actually measure the paprika, but about 3/4 tsp
- In a large skillet, melt 3 TBSP butter. Add sliced chicken breasts to skillet and sauté until cooked through and lightly browned. This should take about 15 minutes. Remove to a separate plate and keep warm until sauce is ready.
- Add 1 TBSP butter to skillet, and cook garlic for about 15-30 seconds. Quickly add in white wine to deglaze the pan(scrape all those good browned bits into the liquid). Cook for about 1 minute to cook out the alcohol. Then add lemon juice, chicken stock, cream, 1/4 tsp paprika, and thyme. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 7-8 minutes. This helps reduce the sauce to help thicken it when you add the cheese in the next step.
- Add parmesan cheese, and spinach and cook until sauce is thickened a little bit more and spinach is wilted. About 5-7 minutes.
- Return chicken to sauce and continue to cook until chicken is back up to temp. Add more sea salt/black pepper as needed.
- Let dish stand 5 minutes before serving over rice or pasta.
Notes
I hope that you will enjoy making this Chicken & Spinach with Lemon Cream Sauce dish for your family. My kids love the flavor of this sauce, even if some of them choose not to eat the spinach. I have high hopes that some of the nutrients cook into the sauce!
Emma
