Lemon Parmesan Spinach Chicken (Printable Version)
Juicy chicken in tangy lemon-Parmesan cream sauce with wilted spinach, ready in 40 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
02 - 3 cups fresh baby spinach
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 medium lemon (zested and juiced)
→ Dairy
05 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/3 cup heavy cream
07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Pantry Staples
08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - Salt, to taste
11 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried Italian herbs.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a golden crust forms. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
04 - Reduce heat to medium. Add the unsalted butter to the same skillet. Sauté the minced garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
05 - Add the fresh baby spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 2 minutes until fully wilted.
06 - Pour in the heavy cream and add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir well and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
07 - Place the seared chicken breasts back into the skillet, spooning the creamy spinach sauce over the top of each piece.
08 - Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and is cooked through.
09 - Serve immediately while hot, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon slices if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in the same pan you sear the chicken in, so cleanup is almost embarrassingly easy.
- It tastes like something you would order at a small Italian restaurant, but it takes barely forty minutes from fridge to table.
02 -
- Do not skip drying the chicken before searing because any moisture left on the surface will cause it to steam instead of forming that gorgeous golden crust.
- If your sauce looks broken or greasy when you add the cream, take the pan off the heat for thirty seconds and whisk vigorously, it almost always comes back together.
03 -
- Let the skillet get properly hot before the chicken goes in, because a pan that is not ready is the number one reason for a pale, sad sear.
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave a few extra curls of Parmesan right over the finished dish because it makes everything look like you tried twice as hard as you actually did.