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This Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chicken is comfort food turned easy weeknight dinner! This optionally dairy-free dish is so creamy and tastes just like spinach artichoke dip but with fresh healthy ingredients served for dinner! This dish is Paleo, Keto and Whole30 friendly and so delicious!
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chicken
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke ChickenAnother easy weeknight dinner coming your way! And if you are a fan of spinach artichoke dip (but…who isn’t?) then you’re going to love this one. We took all the flavors of that classic dip and updated to create a healthy nutrient-dense dinner that is so creamy and delicious without any actual cream! Ok…we did include a note about how to use cream if you prefer to keep this nut-free. So you decide which version works better for you!
Ingredients Needed:
- chicken breast (or chicken tenders)
- oil
- onion
- garlic
- chicken stock
- canned artichoke quarters
- cashew cream (see this post on how to make)
- nutritional yeast (optional, for dairy-free “cheesy” taste)
- lemon juice
- spinach
- salt and pepper
If you want to keep this nut-free and tolerate dairy substitute heavy cream for cashew cream and parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast. Either way, it’s going to be good!
Why do we use cashew cream in this recipe?
We love using cashew cream as a dairy-free alternative to make things CREAMY! Unlike coconut cream or coconut milk that can often leave a taste, cashew cream makes things instantly creamy, without any coconut taste! It’s totally dairy-free, and delicious. You can use it in savory or sweet dishes. But even without the health benefits, cashew cream is just totally delicious.
What to serve with Spinach and Artichoke Chicken:
There are so many options to serve this delicious dish with. Try:
- cauliflower rice
- pasta
- white rice
- a bed of greens
- spiralized veggies like zucchini
- spaghetti squash
If you like this simple weeknight chicken dinner, check out these other favorites:
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Paleo & Keto)
- Chicken Parmesan
- Roasted Chicken Dinner
- Sheet Pan Curry Chicken and Vegetables
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-½ pound chicken breast diced into 1” x 3” pieces (or chicken tenders)
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil if needed
- 1 onion sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-½ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 15 ounce can artichoke quarters drained and chopped roughly
- 1/2 cup cashew cream see this post on how to make
- 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional, for dairy-free “cheesy” taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cup spinach
- Green onions sliced thinly, for garnish
- For serving: cauliflower rice pasta, rice, spaghetti squash
Instructions
- Heat oil a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot cook chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook on each side until lightly browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add 2 teaspoons oil if the pan is dry. Add onion and garlic, and lower heat to medium low and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in chicken stock, salt and pepper and artichokes and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and bring up to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cashew cream, nutritional yeast and lemon juice until smooth.
- Add spinach, and return chicken to pan and continue to cook until the spinach has wilted and everything is combined. If your sauce is too thick, add a bit more chicken stock to thin it out.
We tried this recipe tonight. I didn’t have the cashew cream on hand so I planned ahead and made some. I really enjoyed the creamy aspect of it without using dairy. But I found the actual chicken dish bland despite adding extra spices. We served it over egg noodles and my family weren’t sure we’d make it again. But I do appreciate your recipes and your site and now I can search for other cashew cream uses. Thank you!
Okay, this was so delicious! I kept it dairy free and it was so flavorful you’d never know! A great balance between creamy, cheesy, tangy, and savory, and the best part is it doesn’t weigh you down like a traditional cream sauce/dish will. I paired it will some penne pasta, but could see this being just as awesome over bed of rice. This recipe HITS ya’ll!! MAKE IT!
This is now in frequent rotation for us. We love it! We prefer it with noodles, but the flavors are incredible however you pair it. Thank you!!
Can this be frozen?
We haven’t tested that. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi Kelli,
Do you think coconut cream could substitute for the cashew cream? Thanks for sharing!
It can work, but it won’t be as creamy and it will have a coconut taste! We originally tested a recipe similar to this with coconut cream. It worked out okay, just so long as you don’t mind the taste of the coconut in it. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
The flavors are really good and it’s relatively easy, but I thought the “broth” could have been a lot thicker. Felt a little too soupy and not creamy enough. Followed instructions exactly as described.
Hi Lizzle! There are a lot of variables in cooking such as how strong your flame / burner works, how thick your pan is and how much moisture your chicken has that can effect basic cooking. To easily solve this problem cook you sauce a little longer to reduce it to get the thickness you want 🙂
Is it 1/2 lb or 1 1/2 lb chicken? The dash in there is confusing.
1.5 pounds!
At what step do you add the lemon juice?
With the cashew cream and nutritional yeast!
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing you’re creativity!