Creamy Artichoke Chicken with Spinach and Paprika
Creamy Artichoke chicken with Spinach and Paprika is the ultimate comfort food recipe that’s loaded with rich creamy goodness and plenty of healthy veg! Succulent chicken pieces are simmered down with artichoke and spinach in a velvety creamy sofrito sauce. A touch of sweet paprika and white pepper really add something special to this warming recipe and the finishing touch of grated parmesan helps bring the whole dish together.
This recipe can be made in one large skillet or pan and combines a few pantry staples. We used frozen spinach and tinned artichokes for convenience, but you can use fresh ingredients with a little more time added for preparation. As written, this recipe comes together in around 40 minutes.
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Serving:
Main for 4-6
Ready in:
40 minutes
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Bread, mash potato, or steamed rice
Watch step-by-step recipe video
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How to Make Creamy Artichoke Chicken with Spinach and Paprika
Ingredients (Main for 4)
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ lb (700g) boneless, skinless chicken (breast or loin cuts work best)*
- 1 heaped teaspoon of Sweet paprika
- Salt (to taste)
- ½ cup of chicken stock (or veggie stock)
- 1 onion, diced fine
- 2 tomatoes, grated and skin removed
- 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 7 oz (200g) frozen spinach (or fresh, if you choose)
- 14 oz (400g) artichoke hearts (canned in water) drained
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Fresh chopped parsley (for serving)
*If you use chicken breast, you’ll need to cut it into smaller strips before cooking (approx 1 inch x 4 inch / 2.5 cm / 10 cm). The loin is naturally smaller pieces.
Serving suggestions:
- Creamy mashed potato
- Steamed rice
- Fresh warm bread
Equipment needed
- 1 large 30cm / 12-inch skillet with deep sides
- Cooking tongs
- Sharp kitchen knife and cutting board
- Ladle
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Box grater
Instructions
Step 1 – Fry chicken pieces
- Add the oil to the skillet on high heat and fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Note: the chicken won’t be completely cooked but only lightly browned, it will cook more in the next steps.
- Season lightly with half the paprika and some salt (to taste).
- Once cooked, remove from the pan and set the chicken pieces aside for use later.
Step 2 – Prepare the Veg and Sauce
- Heat stock and keep it handy for use later.
- Thaw the spinach before cooking with it and be sure to squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Fry the diced onion until golden. Add the grated tomato and stir through. Make a small well and drizzle a little more oil in the well and add the garlic. Cook for a minute or until fragrant then mix into the tomato and onion.
- Add the rest of the paprika and white pepper and season to taste with salt (we used around ¼ teaspoon of salt).
- Add a few ladles of stock and then add the spinach and stir through. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and gently stir into the other ingredients. Add the artichoke pieces (be careful not to break up the artichoke pieces too much).
Step 3 – Add Chicken, Simmer, and serve
- Add the chicken pieces back to the pan with the other ingredients, sprinkle with a little parmesan, and simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes.
- Right before serving, remove from the heat and sprinkle fresh grated parmesan over the top.
- Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley and serve alongside plenty of fresh bread, mashed potato, or steamed rice.
About this Creamy Artichoke Chicken with Spinach and Paprika Recipe
This is a fantastic one-pan recipe that’s easy to make and oozes plenty of flavor. A rich and creamy paprika-infused sauce is used to simmer down spinach, artichokes, and succulent chicken pieces. The white pepper and use of sweet paprika give this dish plenty of warmth without being spicy and it’s ideal for serving to the kids!
This recipe is comfort food at its best, it’s rich and warming and there’s loads of rich creamy sauce to be mopped up. I always serve artichoke chicken alongside plenty of fresh bread, mashed potato, or steamed rice.
The Best Part: Creamy Paprika-Infused Sauce
Without a doubt, the best part of this recipe is the rich, creamy, paprika-infused sauce that simmers down the meat and veggie ingredients and brings everything together.
We use a sofrito base sauce that’s made with sauteed onion, garlic, and grated tomato. Then, we use Spanish sweet paprika and white pepper to give the sauce plenty of depth and a rich color. Finally, add plenty of heavy/full cream and just a dash of salt for some seasoning.
The result is a velvety smooth sauce that’s incredibly flavorsome and deserves plenty of fresh bread for a good mop-up. You can also serve it with mashed potatoes or rice if you prefer.
Best Chicken Pieces to Use
Use skinless boneless chicken for this recipe. Chicken cuts such as the breast and loin are ideal (we used loin).
Chicken Loin
Chicken loin is a boneless cut of meat that sits just behind the breast meat. It is white meat and very flavorsome and is around an inch/cm thick and around 4-5 inches/10-12.5 cm long.
Chicken Breast
Another great option is chicken breast meat. It’s typically served skinless and boneless so perfect for this artichoke chicken recipe. When using breast meat, cut the breasts into strips lengthways around 1 inch/2.5 cm thick. This will allow the meat to cook faster and absorb more of the delicious creamy sauce.
Fresh or tinned artichokes?
We opted for tinned artichoke hearts as they are much easier to use and require no extra preparation. Of course, fresh artichokes can be used, but you’ll need to prepare the artichokes first and cook them. Learn how to cook artichokes in the microwave, by steaming, or by grilling them.
Which Olive Oil to Use
Extra virgin olive oil is the most nutritious and healthy, and the tastiest. Use the best quality you have or want to invest in. A top extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is perfect in recipes like this and salad dressings, etc. Since it’s used quite sparingly in this manner (vs cooking with it) a bottle can last a long time.
Here are some more recipes that benefit from a top-notch EVOO where you will really notice the difference: pan con tomate (bread with tomato), 1-minute Mediterranean salad dressing, basil and garlic dressing, 5-minute tomato salad, and no-mayo Spanish potato salad.
Variations and Ingredient Substitutions
- Not a fan of artichokes? Substitute artichokes for lots of sliced mushrooms.
- We used frozen spinach, but fresh spinach can be used. Use around 3 cups of fresh spinach for this recipe.
- Any green leafy veg can be subbed for spinach. We suggest kale, silverbeet, or Swiss chard. Watercress can also be used, just be sure to add it during the last few minutes of cooking so it doesn’t shrivel up too much.
- We always use extra virgin olive oil whenever possible in our recipes (it’s one of the healthiest oils to cook with), however, butter can be used and subbed in a 1:1 ratio with EVOO.
- Parmesan cheese can be subbed for any type of grated hard cheese.
- Fresh parsley is suggested for a garnish although it can be omitted or substituted for dried thyme.
Nutrition Facts
|
Serving size: 300g |
|
|
Servings: 4 |
|
|
Amount per serving |
|
|
Calories |
516 |
|
% Daily Value* |
|
|
Total Fat 30.8g |
39% |
|
Saturated Fat 12.4g |
62% |
|
Cholesterol 159mg |
53% |
|
Sodium 489mg |
21% |
|
Total Carbohydrate 16.6g |
6% |
|
Dietary Fiber 7.8g |
28% |
|
Total Sugars 3.2g |
|
|
Protein 43.1g |
|
|
Vitamin D 0mcg |
1% |
|
Calcium 305mg |
23% |
|
Iron 3mg |
15% |
|
Potassium 1237mg |
26% |
|
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
|
FAQs and Cooking Tips
Best cheese to use for this recipe?
We opted for Parmesan cheese, however, you could also use Romano cheese, grated cheddar, or even grated Manchego cheese if you’re feeling fancy!
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yep, absolutely. Thaw the spinach before cooking with it and be sure to squeeze out any excess moisture.
Substitute for heavy cream?
This recipe relies on the rich creamy texture so milk doesn’t work as well.
Creamy Artichoke Chicken with Spinach and Paprika
Equipment
- 1 large 30cm / 12-inch skillet with deep sides
- Cooking Tongs
- Sharp kitchen knife and Cutting board
- Ladle
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- 1 Box grater
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ lb 700g boneless, skinless chicken (breast or loin cuts work best)*
- 1 heaped teaspoon of Sweet paprika
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup of chicken stock or veggie stock
- 1 onion diced fine
- 2 tomatoes grated and skin removed
- 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 7 oz 200g frozen spinach (or fresh, if you choose)
- 14 oz 400g artichoke hearts (canned in water) drained
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
Step 1 - Fry chicken pieces
- Add the oil to the skillet on high heat and fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Note: the chicken won’t be completely cooked but only lightly browned, it will cook more in the next steps.3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1½ lb 700g boneless, skinless chicken (breast or loin cuts work best)*
- Season lightly with half the paprika and some salt (to taste).1 heaped teaspoon of Sweet paprika, Salt
- Once cooked, remove from the pan and set the chicken pieces aside for use later.
Step 2 - Prepare the Veg and Sauce
- Heat stock and keep it handy for use later.½ cup of chicken stock
- Thaw the spinach before cooking with it and be sure to squeeze out any excess moisture.7 oz 200g frozen spinach (or fresh, if you choose)
- Fry the diced onion until golden. Add the grated tomato and stir through. Make a small well and drizzle a little more oil in the well and add the garlic. Cook for a minute or until fragrant then mix into the tomato and onion.1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic minced
- Add the rest of the paprika and white pepper and season to taste with salt (we used around ¼ teaspoon of salt).1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- Add a few ladles of stock and then add the spinach and stir through. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the cream and gently stir into the other ingredients. Add the artichoke pieces (be careful not to break up the artichoke pieces too much.1 cup of heavy cream, 14 oz 400g artichoke hearts (canned in water) drained
Step 3 - Add Chicken, Simmer, and serve
- Add the chicken pieces back to the pan with the other ingredients, sprinkle with a little parmesan, and simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes.¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Right before serving, remove from the heat and sprinkle fresh grated parmesan over the top.
- Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley and serve alongside plenty of fresh bread, mashed potato, or steamed rice.Fresh chopped parsley
Video
Notes
Variations and Ingredient Substitutions
- If using chicken breast, you’ll need to cut it into smaller strips before cooking (approx 1 inch x 4 inch / 2.5 cm / 10 cm). The loin is naturally smaller pieces.
- Not a fan of artichokes? Substitute artichokes for lots of sliced mushrooms.
- We used frozen spinach, but fresh spinach can be used. Use around 3 cups of fresh spinach for this recipe.
- Any green leafy veg can be subbed for spinach. We suggest kale, silverbeet, or Swiss chard. Watercress can also be used, just be sure to add it during the last few minutes of cooking so it doesn't shrivel up too much.
- We always use extra virgin olive oil whenever possible in our recipes (it’s one of the healthiest oils to cook with), however, butter can be used and subbed in a 1:1 ratio with EVOO.
- Parmesan cheese can be subbed for any type of grated hard cheese.
- Fresh parsley is suggested for a garnish although it can be omitted or substituted for dried thyme.
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