Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Savory, earthy, fresh, rich, meaty, slightly spicy.
Texture: The sauce is luscious and creamy while the mushrooms are tender without being overcooked and the chicken is moist.
Ease: Easy and quick enough to be a weeknight meal.
Appearance: Oh so creamy and the spinach adds a lovely pop of color.
Pros: The whole-grains, veggies, and chicken make this meal not overly indulgent. Perfect option for when you need to feed only yourself and don’t want to resort to take-out.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes and yes.
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I can’t think of a more distracting place than the internet. Especially when I’m writing an essay. When I’m staring at the Word document screen, trying to bust out a few more pages, suddenly everything else in the world seems a million times more interesting and requires my immediate attention. Really the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of the immense relief I’ll feel when I finally do finish the stupid essay and turn it in.
The best part of working long, hard hours on something? Food breaks. Not only do they physically keep you going, a good meal can keep your spirits up. Take this dish for example. It’s creamy, earthy, and every bite takes you away from what’s lurking on your computer screen.
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach
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Ingredients
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken cutlet
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 medium button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole-wheat flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup packed baby spinach leaves
- 3/4 cup dried whole-grain penne, or similar shape, cooked according to package directions and drained
Instructions
- Generously season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from skillet and cover with aluminum foil.
- Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and mushrooms to skillet; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add the butter to the center of the pan, let melt, then whisk in flour. Cook 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in heavy cream.
- Stir in spinach, allowing it to wilt slightly. Stir in cooked pasta. Thoroughly mix together before serving.
Very good dish, just as presented. However, I added a squeeze of lemon juice at the end and offered fresh Parmesan as a topping.
Made this last night for Supper, simply delicious. I left out the red pepper flakes though.
Will definately make it again !!
Great recipe good taste, east and quick to cook.
So glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely love this recipe, it has quickly become a family favourite. I found the red pepper a bit much as well. so I usually put in about 1 tsp. when making a 6 serving (tripling) and add extra spinach and mushroom. Thank you SO much for this!
Can i substitute the heavy creme with greek yogurt?
I don’t see why not… it may add a slightly more tangy taste to the sauce.
I was looking for something chicken-y and mushroom-y and spinach-y and this was such a great recipe. I skipped the red pepper flakes (our kids are picky about spiciness) and subbed in shallot instead of garlic and it was amazing!
I’m really curious about your reply to a previous comment re: when doubling a recipe, only use 1.5x the spices instead of doubling them.
Thanks for a fantastic dinner!
Incredible recipe…amazing results. Loved the meal.
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i dont like mushrooms, should i just omit it with something else?
made this last night and thought it was delicious! Tasted just like something I would buy at a restaurant.
Tried it tonight & liked it. I also need to reduce the red pepper, and I'm thinking maybe I'll try adding some parmesan cheese or something next time.
We made this tonight and really enjoyed it. I should have read the comments first and my better judgment about the red pepper though…doubling it was too much. But I'll remember this for next time.
This entire week's meals are your recipes! Can't wait (:
So happy to hear that! When doubling a recipe usually you only need to increase the spice amounts by one and a half. Everyone has different spiciness preferences which is why it's always good to taste as you go 🙂