Easy Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta Recipe (15-Minute Meal)

This creamy chicken spinach pasta recipe is definitely a go to lunch or dinner option if you’re looking for a new quick and simple, yet delicious and healthy pasta recipe. Even though this recipe consists of only a few ingredients, it’s packed with flavor and I’m sure you’ll be adding it to your regular weekly menu. It’s also a great option for everybody who’s trying to achieve their fitness goals or track their macros as it only uses fresh and low calorie ingredients.

If you are looking for meal prep ideas then this recipe is a perfect fit for that.

Ingredients You’ll Need for the Recipe

• Any of your favorite pasta – Honestly any kind of pasta works great, just go with the one that you like best or have in your stock. If you’re gluten intolerant, then go with the gluten-free pasta option. 
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast– Personally I find the chicken breast being the best & healthiest option for this recipe as it’s low in calories & fats and at the same time high in proteins. 
• Leek – Leeks have a bit more kick of flavor than an onion and go well with every creamy pasta recipe. Regular onion will do just as good but definitely give it a go with the leek to spice things up. For this recipe you’ll need to use the lower half which is the light green and white part of the leek. 
• Baby spinach leaves – Baby spinach leaves give a bit of sweetness and a lot of freshness to the pasta. They might seem to have a lot of volume uncooked, but once cooked they will shrink by a lot so don’t be afraid to add lots of it to your pasta dishes.  
• Low calorie/light cooking cream – These days there’s pretty much any kind of cooking cream out there depending on what you prefer. I’m personally using a lactose-free 15% fat cooking cream, but depending on your calorie or dietary needs you can go with a vegan option or any of your favorite cooking cream. 
• Grated parmesan cheese – Parmesan cheese goes amazing with any creamy pasta sauce. It’s a healthy and delicious source of fat, higher in proteins and easier to digest than most other cheese options. 
• Olive oil – I find olive oil to be the best option for any pasta dish as it’s one of the most neutral flavor cooking oil options while also being one of the healthiest at the same time. 
• Seasoning –  For this recipe all you need is salt, pepper, fresh or granulated garlic or regular garlic powder and optionally some smoked paprika powder. If you’re not a fan of garlic, it will do just as good with just salt and pepper. 

How to Make a Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta

1. Cook your chosen pasta. Heat your pasta water in a cooking pot until boiling and add plenty of salt. Boil the pasta according to the instructions on your pasta package to your desired cooking stage. I definitely recommend cooking it to al dente or even a minute less than that. A personal tip I use is to test a piece of pasta a minute or two before al dente cooking time is reached to see if it’s edible but still firm. If it’s at that stage then it’s done as it will cook another minute or two on the pan as well until perfectly cooked.
2. Prep the other ingredients: While the pasta is cooking, cut the lower half of the leek and the chicken breast into small pieces.
3. Cook the chicken & greens: Turn the pan to high heat and add some olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken breast pieces to the pan, season it with salt and pepper and let it fry until it starts to caramelize on one side. Then flip the chicken around to fry on the other side and at the same time add the cut leek. Let it cook for another minute or until the chicken is caramelized on the other side as well.
4. Add the seasonings and the spinach. Turn the heat to medium, add the seasonings and the baby spinach leaves to the pan and mix everything together until the leaves start shrinking in size. It’ll happen quite quickly so be sure to be ready for the next step already once the leaves are added.
5. Add the sauce ingredients: Now it’s time to add the cream and the grated parmesan and let it simmer for a minute or until the cheese has completely dissolved the cream.
6. Add the pasta to the pan: Mix your boiled pasta to the sauce and let it cook for another minute or two depending on how thick you prefer it to be.
7. Serve the creamy chicken pasta and enjoy!

Chicken Spinach Pasta Recipe

Creamy chicken pasta with spinach recipe that is really easy to make. It is one of our favorite quick meals to make on a busy day.

Ingredients (2 Servings)

• 1 Boneless skinless chicken breast (~ 0.5 lb / 220g)
• 1 small leek
• 2 cups / 60 grams of baby spinach leaves
• 1.2 cups / 300 ml of light cooking cream
• 2 oz / 50 grams of grated parmesan
• 5.3 oz / 150 grams of dry pasta of your choice
• 1 tbsp / 14 ml of olive oil
• Salt and pepper for flavoring
• Granulated garlic or 1 piece of fresh garlic (optional)
• Paprika powder or smoked paprika powder for flavoring (optional)