Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Chicken – it’s just like spinach and artichoke dip but made as dinner!
This recipe is my take on a classic chicken alfredo, but with the addition of my favorite green ingredients: spinach and artichoke. Pretty much everyone loves spinach and artichoke dip, and this recipe is its pasta version.
Boneless, skinless, lean chicken breast works great in this very creamy spinach artichoke pasta recipe. And, the homemade alfredo sauce ensures that the chicken breast is juicy and moist as it is generously coated in a silky cheese sauce.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Pasta:
Here is a quick snapshot of the recipe. Use 2 average size chicken breasts or 1 large chicken breast (it should be a total of 1.5 pounds of chicken). Slice each chicken breast horizontally to make it thinner. Cook each chicken breast half about 5 minutes on each side, until it’s of nice golden color and completely cooked through. Slice it up! Make the creamy sauce by combining heavy cream and shredded Mozzarella cheese, then add thawed spinach and chopped up artichokes. Combine cooked pasta and cooked chicken in this creamy sauce, adjust the seasonings (salt and pepper) and your spinach artichoke pasta is ready!
How do you make this spinach artichoke pasta gluten free?
Easy! The homemade alfredo sauce in this recipe is already gluten free as it doesn’t use any flour – only heavy cream, milk, and cheese. All you have to do is use gluten free pasta in place of regular pasta. I made this recipe with gluten free brown rice penne, and it worked great!
If you enjoyed this spinach artichoke pasta, you might also like these recipes:
Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes, Bacon and Tomatoes in Asiago Cream Sauce
Creamy homemade alfredo sauce, silky and smooth, is so good in this Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Chicken. All your favorite ingredients from the Spinach and Artichoke Dip but made for dinner!
- 1.5 lb chicken breasts (1 or 2 large chicken breasts)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese , shredded (or Monterey Jack cheese)
- 14 oz artichoke hearts , drained and chopped
- 8 oz spinach (frozen and thawed completely and drained)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
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Slice chicken breast in half horizontally (to make it thinner). Season the chicken generously with salt (1/2 teaspoon or more) and pepper on both sides.
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In a large skillet heat olive oil on medium-high heat (until hot but not smoking) and saute chicken breast for about 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Remove the skillet from heat, cover with the lid, and let the chicken rest, off heat, covered, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
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Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta al dente, drain.
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While the pasta is cooking, in the same skillet that you cooked chicken, add 1 cup of heavy cream until it boils. Immediately add the cheese and stir until melted and nice and creamy. Reduce heat to medium-low, and slowly, in small portions, add milk, constantly stirring, simmering, until nice and creamy consistency is reached.
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Add cooked pasta to the creamy sauce. Add drained and chopped artichoke hearts and spinach. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced, cooked chicken.
This was so delicious. However, when I made it, the mozzarella clumped with the spinach. I removed the clumps, added more spinach and added cream cheese as a substitute. So good!!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Adding spinach sounds so good!
Delicious!
Thank you!
Tried the dish with chicken and absolutely loved it. Decided to experiment a little and use quail instead, same results. This recipe is fantastic thanks a lot Julia! You can even cook in batch and reheat to eat later.
Came across this recipe of yours that I made a couple years ago. Made it again tonight and found myself going back for a little more…and then a little more….and a little more. Love this recipe Julia!
Thank you, Gim! I am glad you liked it!
this was so good. i made my two partners make it while i sat back and watched. had a blast!
So glad you liked it! It’s nice to have someone else to cook for you, isn’t it?
Would using fresh spinach throw the cooking/flavors?
Hi Julia!
Awesome recipe.
Could I freeze the leftovers, you think? And if so, how long would it be ok in the freezer?
Thanks!
We enjoyed the Spinach, artichoke, chicken Alfredo
Thank you, Christy!
How amazing is this?
Classic pasta with a wonderful twist and a mouthwatering combination of flavors.
Pinned!
LOVE this pasta–it’s so unique yet so classic!