Pasta tossed in a creamy mushroom spinach sauce with tender chicken. This quick and easy creamy chicken spinach mushroom pasta is made with simple ingredients in 30 minutes! It's a comforting meal for dinner or lunch!
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This simple chicken spinach mushroom pasta features rotini pasta cooked with chicken, fresh spinach, button mushrooms, heavy cream and spices. It serves well as a main dish and made with minimal ingredients!
This is a great one-pan meal for busy weeknights and fantastic for the whole family. It's also a sneaky way to get more vegetables into your diet. You can also broil the pasta dish in the oven with some cheese over top to take it to the next level!
If you're not a fan of mushrooms or spinach, you can easily swap them for other vegetables you enjoy. The same goes for the protein.
I love developing Italian pasta recipes as they're so easy to make with minimal ingredients and the end result is always satisfying. Also, who doesn't love oodles of noodles!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Rotini Pasta: or substitute with penne, rigatoni or large seashell pasta.
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs: or substitute with chicken breast. If you're not a fan of chicken, substitute with pork shoulder, shrimp, or extra-firm tofu.
- White button mushrooms: or substitute with cremini mushrooms.
- Baby spinach: or substitute with regular sized spinach but trim off the roots and wash them thoroughly.
- Heavy cream: with a milk fat percentage between 30-36 % or substitute with table cream (18% M.F). If you're dairy-free, substitute with cashew cream or whole-fat coconut cream.
- Garlic cloves
- Garlic powder: or substitute with onion powder.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil: or substitute with a neutral tasting oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Unsalted butter: to add more flavor to the pasta! If you're dairy-free, substitute with plant-based butter of your choice.
Expert Tips
- Thinly slice the chicken and mushrooms so they cook faster.
- Don't overcook the pasta and always under boil it by 1 minute from the instructed time for that al dente texture. I also recommend taste testing the pasta.
- Make sure to reserve some of the pasta water because this helps to thicken the sauce.
- Add the spinach at the very end and don't overcook it or it'll become very mushy.
- Mix in the cooked pasta while the sauce is off the heat source to avoid over cooking the pasta.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make creamy chicken mushroom spinach pasta:
- Season sliced chicken with ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder and black pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- In a large pot filled with water, season with 2 teaspoon salt. Boil pasta until al dente according to packet instructions. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and set aside. Strain cooked pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Sauté minced garlic. Cook chicken until halfway cooked.
- Then melt butter and toss in mushrooms. Cook until they’re soft and browned on the edges.
- Stir in heavy cream and reserved pasta water and let this simmer on low-medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Mix in baby spinach and cook until they have softened. Remove the pan of sauce off the heat.
- Mix in the cooked pasta and serve hot.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this type of pasta as the spinach and mushrooms will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
This creamy chicken mushroom spinach pasta serves well with:
- Starters like fresh salad with Italian dressing, Caesar salad, or antipasto salad, calamari, garlic bread, bruschetta, or Italian wedding soup
- Pizza
- Risotto
- Italian meatballs
- Chicken parmesan
- Cooked protein like sautéed buttered shrimp, chicken, or beef or grilled steak
- Sautéed or grilled vegetables like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, squash, Brussels sprouts, corn on the cob, and mushrooms.
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Baked Italian eggplant
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Feel free to make this creamy chicken pasta dairy-free by substituting the heavy cream with cashew cream or whole-fat coconut milk and substitute the butter with a plant-based butter.
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📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Creamy Chicken Spinach Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 14 oz rotini pasta or penne/rigatoni/seashell pasta
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 2 cups heavy cream 36% M.F
- 2.5 cups white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2.5 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp butter unsalted
Instructions
- Season sliced chicken with ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder and black pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- In a large pot filled with water, season with 2 teaspoon salt. Boil pasta until al dente according to packet instructions. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and set aside. Strain cooked pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Sauté minced garlic. Cook chicken until halfway cooked.
- Then melt butter and toss in mushrooms. Cook until they’re soft and browned on the edges.
- Stir in heavy cream and reserved pasta water and let this simmer on low-medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Mix in baby spinach and cook until they have softened. Remove the pan of sauce off the heat.
- Mix in the cooked pasta and serve hot.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This is one decadent comfort food dish! Your ideas to create a homemade cashew cream and to use coconut milk make this a fabulous indulgence... less the guilt!
Luciana
This was really creamy and delicious! It has become a weekly weeknight meal for our family now. Thank you!