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Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach, Bacon, Mushrooms - a delicious way to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts! Your chicken is guaranteed to be moist and tender.
Comfort food and healthy ingredients all in one dish! This smothered chicken recipe is gluten free, low carb, packed with protein and vegetables.
If you love stuffed chicken breasts, you'll love this easier "smothered" version of the stuffed chicken. The assembly is really easy: just put the creamed spinach, bacon, mushrooms and Pepper Jack cheese on top of seasoned chicken breasts and bake everything uncovered to perfection. This chicken dinner recipe is anything but boring!
How to make smothered chicken:
Generously season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, lemon pepper seasoning and a small amount of paprika. Place the chicken breasts, flat side down, into the greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F:
In the mean time, make the creamed spinach. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook for only 1 or 2 minutes, covered, until the spinach is thoroughly heated through and start to wilt. Remove from heat. Add minced garlic and half and half. Bring to boil. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and keep stirring, on high heat, until mozzarella cheese starts to melt - about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until you have a nice, smooth creamed spinach - about 30 seconds or 1 more minute. Season with salt to your taste. Remove from heat.
In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on high-medium heat for 1-2 minutes until mushroom caramelize. Do not salt mushrooms or it will prevent the caramelization.
Remove the chicken breasts from the oven (you baked them for 15-20 minutes). Top (or smother) each chicken breast with the creamed spinach:
Continue smothering the chicken with cooked and chopped bacon on top of chicken (make sure to cook the bacon in advance - I cooked it in the oven):
Add cooked mushrooms on top:
Add broken slices of pepper jack cheese (Monterey Jack cheese with Jalapenos):
Bake the chicken in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. Broil for the last 2-4 minutes, if desired, being careful not to burn the cheese on top.
Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach, Bacon, Mushrooms
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1.5 lb chicken breast skinless, boneless (4 small chicken breast or 2 large chicken breast, halved)
- salt
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Creamed spinach:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 10 oz spinach fresh
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cup half and half
- ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Other Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 slices bacon cooked, chopped
- 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Butter the bottom of the baking dish (I used an oval casserole dish measured 13 inches x 9 inches x 4 inches deep).
- Generously season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, lemon pepper seasoning and a small amount of paprika. Place the chicken breasts, flat side down, into the greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F.
How to make creamed spinach:
- In the mean time, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook for only 1 or 2 minutes, covered, until the spinach is thoroughly heated through and start to wilt. Remove from heat. Add minced garlic and half and half. Bring to boil. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and keep stirring, on high heat, until mozzarella cheese starts to melt - about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until you have a nice, smooth creamed spinach - about 30 seconds or 1 more minute. Season with salt to your taste. Remove from heat.
Cook mushrooms:
- In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on high-medium heat for 1-2 minutes until mushroom caramelize. Do not salt mushrooms or it will prevent the caramelization.
Smothered chicken assembly:
- Remove the chicken breasts from the oven (you baked them for 15-20 minutes). Top each chicken breast with the creamed spinach, chopped cooked bacon, cooked mushrooms and broken slices of pepper jack cheese. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. Broil for the last 2-4 minutes, if desired, being careful not to burn the cheese on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was delicious!
Thank you! 🙂
I saw this recipe today, made it for dinner tonight for myself and my husband. It is delicious! My husband is not a huge fan of chicken but he loves it as much as I did.
So glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it!
I’m sure your recipe is delicious I’ve made almost the same recipe that I made-up on my own and I didn’t use Bacon Instead of going through all the way to make Creamed Spinach just buy it already made, it’s delicious. I also used Marsala wine. Just a thought
Yes, those are great tips! Buy creamed spinach or even spinach dip will work! Great shortcuts!
Absolutely delicious and really flavorful. Serve this with a side of creamy mashed garlic cauliflower. Definitely takes longer than 20 minutes but well worth it!
Victoria, I am so glad you tried this and liked it! Love the idea of serving this with creamy mashed garlic cauliflower - so delicious!
Looks delicious ! What do you service with it?
That looks incredible!
I have made this and is excellent!! Do you think this could be made ahead and freeze and will be ok when I'm ready to cook it?
I made this dinner last night for my family exactly how it calls for. To say it was phenomenal is an understatement. We will definitely have this again! My kids and I don’t even care for mushrooms (hubby loves), but we devoured this. I paired it with creamy garlic mashed potatoes. Although I don’t think it needs anything with it. It’s incredible by itself.
Thanks so much!
I was just thinking. What else can I do with chicken and I came across this recipe.
Thank you looking forward to eating this.
Made this tonight and it was great! Used Heavy Cream instead of Half and Half as it was what I had on hand. Will make it again! Takes a little longer to prep than 20 minutes - but worth it!
This is a fantastic recipe. Doesn’t take a long time to make. My very picky mother and husband gobbled it down. Will definitely make this one again. I give it five stars.
I made it today, this is so yummy...Thanks to the author..
So happy to hear that! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
All of your recipes make me drool....wish you owned a restaurant close to my house! I would definitely be a regular customer!
Jane, thank you so much for such a wonderful comment! 🙂
Chicken thighs all day long!
Skinless, boneless chicken thighs will work here, too!
Used prepared creamed spinach and cooked the mushrooms in the bacon fat with the garlic. Used lemon-herb seasoning on the chicken. Skipped the spicy jack cheese used Italian blend cheese delicious!
Excellent swap out! What a time saver!
I’m in!!!
Those are great suggestions!
Your version sounds easier and I like the mushrooms and bacon cooked together as well as Italian blend cheese instead. Not a fan of pepper Jack.
Mmm! So good! I used chicken breast with ribs, onion powder instead of garlic, heavy cream instead of half n half, and pink oyster mushrooms. Easy recipe!