FridgeToTable

What to Make With Chicken and Spinach: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Chicken and spinach is a fast skillet because the spinach wilts into almost nothing, which is the point. A giant bag becomes a handful. Cut the chicken small, cook it first, and add the spinach at the end so it stays green. These three are a garlic skillet, a creamy-free tomato one, and a soup. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

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Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and spinach in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner

20 min

Garlic chicken and spinach

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Chicken sears, then a mountain of spinach wilts in the same skillet with garlic.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 8 cups spinach
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon

Steps

  1. Cut the chicken small, salt it, and sear it until just cooked. Scoop it out.
  2. Add the spinach in handfuls. It looks impossible. It wilts in about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic and the chicken.
  4. Finish with lemon. The spinach should be bright, not a gray puddle.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days. The spinach softens further.

One-pan option

Garlic chicken and spinach is already one skillet. There is no second pan to wash.

The other dinners

25 min

Tomato chicken and spinach

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

A short tomato pan sauce, chicken, and spinach stirred in at the end.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 5 cups spinach
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Salt and sear small pieces of chicken. Set them aside.
  2. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes.
  3. Return the chicken. Stir in the spinach until it wilts.
  4. Taste the sauce. Tomatoes need salt or they taste sharp and empty.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

20 min

Chicken spinach soup

Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

A quick pot of chicken and spinach in salted broth. The spinach goes in last.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken
  • 6 cups spinach
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Soften the onion in a pot. Add the water and salt and bring it to a simmer.
  2. Add the chicken to heat it. It is already cooked.
  3. Stir in the spinach until it wilts, a minute.
  4. Taste. A green soup with shy salt tastes like water. Fix that in the pot.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days.

Make it with leftovers

Cooked chicken warms in the skillet and the soup. Don't boil it. Raw spinach is what these cards want. Leftover cooked spinach is already small and a little sad. Stir it in at the end if that is all you have, and don't expect it to look bright.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Lemon
  • Onion

No spinach: broccoli takes longer. See chicken and broccoli. No chicken: the spinach can wilt into eggs. This page is the chicken version.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

Chicken first, spinach on the side, for a child who won't eat them together. The soup hides the spinach more. Garlic can be the adult top.

This is the green plate. You don't need cream to wilt spinach. Lemon and garlic are the finish. A bag of spinach looks like too much and cooks down to one dinner.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

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Related dinners

More dinners with chicken

Questions

What can I make with chicken and spinach in 20 minutes?

Garlic chicken and spinach takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Chicken sears, then a mountain of spinach wilts in the same skillet with garlic.

What's the easiest dinner with chicken and spinach?

Garlic chicken and spinach is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 20 minutes. Chicken sears, then a mountain of spinach wilts in the same skillet with garlic.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?

Cooked chicken warms in the skillet and the soup. Don't boil it. Raw spinach is what these cards want. Leftover cooked spinach is already small and a little sad. Stir it in at the end if that is all you have, and don't expect it to look bright.

What else can I add to chicken and spinach for a full meal?

The cards already use chicken, spinach, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is chicken and spinach a healthy dinner?

This is the green plate. You don't need cream to wilt spinach. Lemon and garlic are the finish. A bag of spinach looks like too much and cooks down to one dinner.

How do I make chicken and spinach kid-friendly?

Chicken first, spinach on the side, for a child who won't eat them together. The soup hides the spinach more. Garlic can be the adult top.

Can I make chicken and spinach in one pan or a sheet pan?

Garlic chicken and spinach uses one skillet and takes 20 minutes. Chicken sears, then a mountain of spinach wilts in the same skillet with garlic.

What if I don't have spinach?

No spinach: broccoli takes longer. See chicken and broccoli. No chicken: the spinach can wilt into eggs. This page is the chicken version.