This spinach and artichoke pasta recipe was born from my family’s love of spinach and artichoke dip. I was stumped with dinner one night and came up with this recipe. I kept out the mayonnaise that was in the dip we made but you can add it if you like. It adds a bit of tanginess to the dish. You can also keep the chicken out of the recipe for a vegetarian dish.
The chicken for the spinach and artichoke pasta
Chicken may not be the most tender when buying from a grocery store. To make the chicken tender cutting the chicken on the bias and pounding it thin is necessary. Cutting the chicken on the bias is not difficult at all. This technique is basically butterflying the chicken. After butterflying, just finish cutting all the way through and you end up with two pieces. You then take the two pieces and place them between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizing mallet, pound the chicken so it is this but not torn. Repeat this for all the pieces of chicken you are using.
All of this is not necessary, but it makes for a better pasta. If you are short on time just cut the chicken up and use it as is! One timesaver tip is to boil the pasta while the chicken is cooking!
The Pasta
I use fresh pasta whenever possible. Fresh pasta just tastes better in my opinion. Try my fresh pasta recipe! There is no reason you cannot use dried pasta in the spinach and artichoke pasta recipe.
The Spinach
I made the recipe with roughly five ounces of fresh spinach that I wilted in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Just add one teaspoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add the spinach. Place the lid on and stir occasionally. The spinach will start to wilt almost right away. Strain the spinach well after it is all wilted. The other option is to purchase frozen spinach and thaw and drain it. It is very important to try and get as much moisture as possible out of the frozen spinach.
Bringing it all together
The cream cheese, chicken, milk and spinach all go together in a large skillet. The room temperature cream cheese will melt fairly quickly. Once the cream cheese is melted, the sour cream and grated cheese are added. Simmer for 10 minutes and add the pasta. My family loves this dish and I am sure yours will too!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken
- 1 teaspoon of powdered garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
- 5 ounces of fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1/2 pound of fresh pasta
- 12 ounces of cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup of almond milk or regular milk
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 1 cup of grated parmesan asiago, or a combination of both
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet and season with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder and bake for 25 minutes or if reached 165 degrees F
- Place spinach in a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Stir spinach until wilted and set the skillet aside off the heat.
- When chicken is done, cut into bite sized pieces.
- Cook pasta according to directions on the package.
- Add chicken, cream cheese, and milk to the same large skillet as wilted spinach. Stir over medium heat until cream cheese is melted.
- Add sour cream and grated cheese and stir to combine.
- Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve warm.