Description
This creamy garlic chicken with spinach is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken breast chunks cooked in a rich garlic cream sauce with parmesan and wilted baby spinach. Perfect for a quick yet impressive dinner, it pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 600 g skinless boneless chicken breasts (~1 ¼lb)
- 1 teaspoon cooking sea salt / kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Sauce
- 5–6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock (chicken broth) (250ml)
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup thickened cream (heavy cream) (125ml)
- Pinch dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (35g/1 ¼oz)
Vegetables
- 200 g baby leaf spinach (7oz)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken into large chunks about 2×2 inches each. Place them into a large bowl, add salt, dried thyme, and freshly cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken pieces evenly with the seasoning.
- Cook the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a deep large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side until just cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the chicken and place it on a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Sauté the garlic: In the same pan, add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning and releasing its aroma.
- Deglaze and reduce: Pour in the chicken stock and white wine vinegar. Use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half, approximately 1 minute.
- Add cream and spices: Stir in the thickened cream and a pinch of chili flakes if using. Return the sauce to a gentle simmer and allow it to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally.
- Incorporate parmesan: Add the finely grated parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir until it has fully melted and combined to create a creamy texture.
- Combine chicken and spinach: Return the cooked chicken to the pan together with the baby spinach. Stir and turn everything consistently until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve: Serve the creamy garlic chicken and spinach over mashed potatoes, cooked rice, or your favorite pasta for a delicious meal.
Notes
- Use a standard tablespoon (20ml) for accurate measurement as Australian tablespoons differ from others.
- For pasta dishes, cut chicken into smaller bite-sized pieces to make it easily forkable.
- Adding mushrooms works great; sauté sliced mushrooms after removing chicken until golden, then proceed from the garlic step.
- Nutrition details are approximate; weighing ingredients ensures best results.
