Description
This creamy chicken spinach pasta is a delicious and satisfying dish, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 10 ½ oz (300g) dried pasta (penne or rigatoni)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 6 skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 large shallots (or 1 small sweet onion, finely diced)
- 2 medium leeks (white and light green parts, finely diced)
- 1 cup (120g) mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tsp mustard powder (or Dijon mustard)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated, ideally)
- ½ cup (125ml) chicken stock (or broth)
- 6 cups (240g) fresh baby spinach (shredded)
- ½ cup (120ml) cream (heavy / double)
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to serve)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the salt and your choice of pasta and cook according to pack instructions or until al dente. Set a timer – you will be making the creamy chicken spinach sauce as it cooks!
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the starchy pasta water.
- Trim the chicken of any fatty bits and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for now.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté the shallots and leeks over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes then stir in the garlic.
- Push the vegetables to one side and add the diced chicken, garlic powder, mustard powder and nutmeg. Turn up the heat to medium and brown the chicken for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking for 5 minutes or so.
- Stir in fresh spinach until it starts to wilt, then add the cream and simmer gently over low heat until slightly thickened.
- Stir in some of the reserved pasta water if you want to cut down on the amount of cream in the sauce – the starch released from the pasta will make it silky and delicious.
- Add the grated parmesan and serve.
Notes
- Freshly grated nutmeg is recommended for the best flavor.
- You can substitute the chicken with other proteins or make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 120mg