Mushroom Chicken with creamy spinach and cheese is a favorite of our low-carb chicken recipes. It is a super yummy and easy dinner recipe, that is also kid-friendly. Yes, even with the mushrooms. Just don’t tell them it is good for them! Even though it is a healthy mushroom chicken recipe, you won’t believe how simple the ingredients are….
Why I Love This Recipe
Earlier this week, I was preparing one of our favorite salad recipes, Strawberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken. The salad portion was all prepped and I had the chicken on the grill. At the same time, I was trying to get the kids in their swimsuits and sun screened so we could hit the pool. I got everyone ready and we jumped in the van, completely forgetting about the chicken on the grill. We returned home 2 hours later. Luckily, the grill ran out of propane or the charcoal chicken briquets would have ignited and I would have had another food-prep fire disaster on my hands.
After the grilled chicken disaster, everyone was a bit hesitant when I pulled more chicken out of the freezer the next day, but the result was a landmark recipe in the Jones household. Oh my, this cheesy spinach and mushroom chicken was delicious. My 13-year-old son turned up his nose when he saw the baking dish come out of the oven but immediately admitted how amazing it was once he tasted it. This easy chicken recipe will be on repeat at the Jones house from now on.
What is Mushroom Chicken
Mushroom chicken is a simple dinner recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breasts as the base. Each piece of chicken is topped with a flavor-packed mixture of portabella mushrooms, fresh spinach, garlic, and cheese. It is a very popular dish for anyone following a low-carb or keto diet because it is high in protein and very filling with the addition of vegetables.
Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Recipe Ingredients
Simple, fresh ingredients are highlighted in this easy chicken recipe! I’ve also included some recipe variations in this post if you like playing around with recipes.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Baby portabella mushrooms
- Fresh spinach
- Garlic
- Onion
- Cream cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Butter
- Red wine vinegar
- Seasonings
How to Make Mushroom Chicken
The process for making mushroom chicken is quite simple so don’t let it intimidate you! Mainly, you start the chicken baking in the oven while I prepare the topping on the stove. Then, you come them together to finish baking together in the oven!
- Bake the chicken halfway in the oven after seasoning it well.
- Cook the mushrooms in a hot skillet with butter and seasonings. Set aside.
- Wilt the spinach in the skillet before adding the cream cheese and cooked mushrooms.
- Slather the chicken with the creamy mushroom and spinach sauce.
- Top with mozzarella cheese over each piece of chicken.
- Finish baking the chicken in the oven.
- Serve
Mushroom Chicken Recipe FAQs
Can thighs be used in this chicken & mushroom recipe instead of breasts?
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken thighs would make a great substitution in this mushroom chicken recipe! The thighs definitely have more flavor than the chicken breast meat so the end result would be even more delicious. Use the same amount of chicken but you’ll want to reduce the time in the oven in the last step down to around 8 minutes since the thighs are thinner and will cook quicker.
Is Mushroom Chicken healthy?
The question of whether a recipe is healthy or not always leads to debate in the comments because one person’s view of “healthy” can be very different from another’s. For me, yes I do view this Mushroom Chicken recipe as a healthy meal. And, one of my favorite ones to be specific. As far as nutritional value, one chicken breast with all the toppings has 504 calories, 58 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of carbs in a large serving. In my eyes, that is one healthy dinner.
Can Mushroom Chicken be made ahead of time?
Yes, mushroom chicken can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. You can either make the recipe completely, then reheat it before serving. Or even better, make the topping as instructed but don’t bake the chicken yet. Once the topping is cooked, store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you are ready to finish the dish. When you are ready to serve the mushroom chicken, pick up by baking the chicken as instructed in Step 1, add the prepared topping and mozzarella cheese, then finish baking as instructed in Step 4.
Can I use white mushrooms instead of baby portabellas?
While you can make the substitution and still have a delicious mushroom chicken dinner, using baby portabellas will give you the best result. These mushrooms have so much more flavor in them compared to their less expensive counterparts. Honestly, the extra $0.50 for the better mushrooms is totally worth it. In fact, you will never go back to using the white ones once you’ve had portabellas.
Can frozen spinach be used instead of fresh?
If frozen spinach is the only option available to you, then yes you can make that substitution but fresh spinach will give the best result in both texture and flavor. Be sure to let the extra moisture from the frozen spinach cook out before adding the cheese or the end result will be very watery and unappetizing.
How to store leftover Mushroom Chicken
The key to properly storing leftover mushroom chicken, or any leftover food, is a quality airtight container. And, be sure to put the food away while it is still warm, otherwise bacteria can begin to grow that can make you very sick. Unfortunately, mushroom chicken doesn’t freeze very well so keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Chicken Mushroom Recipe Variations
Being a home cook provides endless opportunities to experiment with recipes, personalizing them to your tastes and creativity. Any of the following variations would be great spin-offs of this mushroom chicken recipe:
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for even more natural flavor coming from the dark meat. Reduce overall baking time by about 10 minutes since the thighs are thinner than the breast meat.
- Add tomatoes to the pan when wilting the spinach for a more Italian spin on the dish. Use 4 diced tomatoes with the seeds removed. Add some more time while they cook down to allow the excess liquid to cook out of both the spinach and the tomatoes.
- Try different cheeses in both the mushroom sauce as well as the cheese on top of the chicken. You could try mascarpone or ricotta cheese for the cream cheese. Then, how about some provolone, gouda, or fontina would work well in place of the mozzarella cheese.
- Add some spice with 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the pan when you are cooking down the mushrooms in the butter. That extra heat can add a whole different level of flavor dimension to the dish.
- Add some artichokes to the spinach cheese sauce if you love the flavor of spinach artichoke dip! Drain a can of artichoke hearts and chop them up fine before adding them to the spinach sauce.
Watch How To Make Mushroom Chicken Recipe
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Mushroom Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This low carb chicken dinner recipe is just dang amazing! So flavorful and satisfying even though it is healthy.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons koshersalt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Mushrooms:
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tb butter
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 C water
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Spinach:
- 10 – 12 ounce bag of spinach leaves
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 Tb oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 casserole with nonstick spray. Generously season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder. Place in the casserole, smooth side down and bake for 16 minutes.
- Toppings: While the chicken bakes, prepare the mushrooms and spinach. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter then add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are browned all over. Don’t add the salt before they brown, or they won’t brown at all! Add the garlic once the mushrooms are browned and cook for 1 minute, then deglaze the pan with the water/vinegar mixture. Add salt and pepper then allow it to reduce until most, but not all, of the liquid is gone. Remove mixture from the pan into a bowl and set aside.
- Spinach: Using the same skillet, add the oil and onion over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute then add the spinach in batches. It will shrink down as it cooks. Once all the spinach has been added and cooked down, stir in the cream cheese, parmesan, salt and pepper until they melt and mix together. Add in the mushrooms and stir.
- Remove chicken from the oven and flip over so the smooth side is now up. Slather the spinach/mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the chicken. Lay the sliced mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and return to the oven for 13-15 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 breast
- Calories: 504
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 857 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 58 g
- Cholesterol: 162
Keywords: low carb chicken recipes, mushroom chicken
Anonymous says
I would totally do this and have for the most part. I would not add cream cheese to this.. It does not need the extra calories maybe a little bit of lemon. I have substituted red wine in place of white only because I’d don’t have white. This is a very good dish!
Simone says
I agree, no cream cheese for me
Jensine Kinser says
See? This is why we are friends. I fantasize about food–and you supply new fantasies. 🙂
Anonymous says
If we are using boneless, skinless chicken, why does your recipe say there is a skin side?
Anonymous says
my sentiments EXACTLY!!!
Carole says
Great question! It means the side where the skin used to be. The smooth side of the chicken breast.
Anonymous says
Thank you so delicious and not very hard at all!
Anonymous says
I made this tonight minus the cream cheese (didn’t have it on hand) and it was immediately added to the rotation. Picky fiancée loved it. Thanks!
Whitney Fletcher says
What would be a complimentary side dish to this?
Paige says
Asparagus?
Shelli Williamson says
Fluffy mashed potatoes or mashed asparagus. Crazed or broiled whole fresh carrots r easy and delink. I toss the carrots in a tiny bit of olive oil and broil in the oven. And sometimes we grill them
Shelli Williamson says
I meant mashed cauliflower if one wants to stay away from potatoes
Carole says
Whitney- how about some rice? This makes a nice sauce in the pan and you can drizzle the the rice with some sauce. Or a simple salad or steamed fresh green beans would also be wonderful!
Denise says
Sooo…I like to make a new recipe every day, and googled the things I have on hand. This recipe came up and I AM SO GLAD IT DID! This was a-fricking-mazing!! SOOOOO good! Very flavorful and super fun to make, thanks for posting this so Google could find it for me. YUM!
Carole says
So glad you loved it Denise! I make this about once a month and it is one of my favorites!
Carole says
Teaya- I have to be honest and say no. Mushrooms add the depth of flavor for this dish that will not be found without them. I still think you should try this amazing dish. Chop the mushrooms small and just try it! I used to despise mushrooms myself 🙂
Teaya says
Can this be made without mushrooms? Not a mushroom fan but love spinach!
Michelle says
Made this for my boyfriend tonight, he’s picky and avoids vegetables like the plague. He asked that we have this not just again, but in the next few days! Great recipe, thanks 🙂
Carole says
Thanks Michelle. I love to hear this type of comment! I always tell people to try things you think you don’t like every so often. You may find that you’ve just never had the thing you hate prepared well 🙂 -Carole
Lyndall says
Just found you via Pinterest. My husband is Jewish and it is hard to find tasty chicken breast (his preferred part of the chicken) recipes that don’t include bacon. Look forward to trying your recipes.
Taffie says
My husband LOVED THIS!!!!!
Definitely took some time, effort, & love- but was worth it.
Carole says
So glad he loved it! There are quite a few steps but it is so worth it! – Carole
Ashley says
can you use frozen spinach in place of fresh spinach in this recipe?
Carole says
You could Ashley, but I would suggest using the fresh instead. As it wilts, the water it gives off adds to the sauce and flavor. -Carole
Christina says
This is under low carb but I don’t see any nutritional information. I made this tonight and have to say it is very delicious. I just hope that my blood sugar doesn’t spike.
Carole says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Christina! There are many great websites out there that can help you determine the nutritional information you are looking for
Christina says
I am really just concerned with the Carb count as I am diabetic. Did I misread that this was a low carb recipe?
Carole says
It is low carb!
Ginny says
I cook for myself and like to make easy to freeze recipes that warm up well. Will this freeze and reheat nicely?
Thanks
Ginny
Carole says
Ginny- this will freeze wonderfully
Kat says
Thanks for the inspiration Carol and everyone. I also searched the web for spinach and cream cheese. I was about to throw out the spinach but I salvaged most of it. I made a sauce of onion, mushroom, garlic, spinach and cream cheese. I used organic vegetable broth instead of wine. No chicken yet, but divided the sauce for freezing and will use when I grill chicken, shrimp, scallops and more. This is also a great low carb fix to making a great tasty meal.
Here’s my tip: I often make batches of alfredo, hollandaise, mushroom steak sauce, pizza sauce, etc. and then I divide in ice cube trays and freeze. I then bag the cubes and use as needed for small individual meals later. For example, when I grill some asparagus, I take out a cube of hollandais and throw it in when finishing. Yummy! And I don’t waste a thing.
Glad I found you!
Kat
Carole says
Kat- thanks so much for your wonderful comment and tips! I love when my readers share their knowledge with each other
Sarah says
This was really yummy! We used the soft cheese that is marketed as a cream cheese substitute with way less fat. Can’t ever remember the name. the chicken was great and very tasty! I am pregnant and lots of spinach is a slam dunk!! Thanks for the recipe!
Carole says
Sarah- I’m so glad you loved it as much as we do! Good luck with the pregnancy
Sean says
An amazing dish. My family loved it. I served mine with some mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and it was a hit. Thanks for an amazing recipe’
Carole says
Sean-Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how it turned out for you
Chantal says
I used plain fat- free yogurt in place of the cream cheese to get the creamy effect!
Carole says
That is a great idea Chantal! Thanks for coming back and sharing.
Marcia says
My husband and I are on a low carb diet and I was searching for new meal ideas, this recipe was very easy to follow and the chicken was delicious. My husband loved it, he says he wants this even when he’s not on diet. Love, love this recipe.
Carole says
Thank you so much for coming back Marcia and letting me know how you liked it. I hope you find some other yummy low carb dishes here to enjoy as well
Riley says
I love this recipe. I saw this on Facebook and decided to try it I forgot to put in the sour cream and I had to substitute Italian dressing for a dressing. It turned out wonderfully and it was delicious.
Carole says
Glad you were able to make it work for you Riley
Elena says
Im a little confused… so I cook the mushrooms and spinach together then cook more spinach with garlic ? Lol im just a little bit lost.
Elena says
And does it have to have whit wine vinager.? Or can I use something else?
Carole says
You can use another vinegar if you wish or even white wine
cheranimyl says
So tasty–a recipe that’s going into the rotation 🙂
★★★★★
Carole says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Carole says
Elena- you cook the mushrooms first as instructed, take them out of the pan and then use that same pan to cook the spinach as directed. All the spinach won’t fit into the pan at first because it is too big. Once the first batch of spinach wilts down, add more to the same pan until you have all the spinach in there together and wilted down.
Kerri says
Great dish. My whole family enjoyed it. We tweaked it a bit with our favorite seasonings but otherwise we followed the recipe. This made my kids’ top ten list on the first try.
Carole says
Love it when the kids love it too! Thanks Kerri for coming back to let me know
Tonia says
Thanks for sharing! I made this tonight and it was delicious.
Carole says
You are very welcome Tonia! Have a look around and find a few more recipes to give a try!
BethR says
I made this for dinner, without Parmesean (only b/c I didn’t have any) and Oh My Goodness! It might be the best thing I’ve ever cooked! I’m in love!❤️
Carole says
Woo hoo!!! I adore hearing this type of comment Beth! Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know
Tisha says
Made this using chicken thigh instead of breast, and green onion instead of white. It was delicious and simple to bake. I will definitely be making this again.
Carole says
Aren’t chicken thighs the best Tisha! Thanks for your great comment -Carole
Tiffany says
I found this recipe after searching for a chicken dish that had spinach and mushrooms in it and I made it tonight. Wow, great dish! My husband immediately raved and said it was one of his favorite chicken dishes and to make sure I keep the recipe. My 1 1/2 year old daughter and 5 years old son loved it too! They both kept asking for more mushrooms! I usually avoid altogether or pick mushrooms out but I decided to try one and I actually liked them a lot! Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be making this a lot!
Carole says
I love hearing comments like this Tiffany! So often our minds are so set against certain ingredients but we don’t know what we are missing out on
Sharon says
This was great! I admit though, I did change some things mainly because I didn’t have the exact ingredients on hand. I used canned mushrooms and frozen spinach. Also swapped the mozzarella cheese for Swiss. We all loved it! I browned the onions, then I added mushrooms and garlic for a few minutes. I then added the thawed, almost but not completely drained spinach. Then I added the cream cheese. I used white wine in place of vinegar as you suggested. The mixture was nice and thick made this way and sat nicely on top of each chicken breast. I served it with rice and my son said it’s a keeper! So even using my shortcuts it was delicious, which means the original recipe HAS to be a good one! 😀
Carole says
Good for you Sharon for making it work with what you had on hand and I’m so glad you loved it!
Charity Lapp says
Crazy good!!
Carole says
Thanks Charity! I agree 🙂
Brandi says
I’ve been making this 3 times a week for about a month now. I have yet to get burned out on them and even my kids want them all the time. Thank you for this recipe.
Carole says
Wow Brandi! I think it is a hit with your family….and I understand why 🙂 -Carole
Lauren says
DELICIOUS!!! I made this yesterday as part of my Mom’s birthday lunch. It came out great and everyone loved it! The only change I personally made, was using a little red cooking wine instead of the water/ white vinegar combo for the mushrooms. Great recipe. Thank you!
Carole says
Howdy Lauren! This one is an all time favorite of mine so I love that it worked so well for you too
Mele says
Would this go good with pasta?
Carole says
Absolutely Mele!
Chelsea says
I added tomatos and it was great!
Carole says
I will try that addition next time Chelsea!
Ruth says
Hi, this sounds amazing but I just imported the recipe to My Fitness Pal. I’m assuming each breast is a serving and I added 6 breast; however, the nutrition facts says it has 73 grams of carbohydrates!! That’s very high for a low carb meal.
Carole says
That sounds really high Ruth. Double check what you put in to be sure it is correct and if it is still too high, you can simply reduce the amount of both the mozzarella and cream cheeses.
Lisa says
Love it! Will make this again!
Carole says
So glad Lisa!
Cheryl Smith says
tried this last night and it was great. will make again. just gotta say though that the comments from people that say they’ve made it or will make it without a key ingredient like mushrooms, spinach, cream cheese or white wine (because they don’t like something) really aren’t making your recipe. I think its the combination of the individual ingredients that make the dish special. I always follow the recipe the first time I make it and make changes or additions after that. my husband is the cook in our family but Im the one that tries new recipes because I follow them. Im glad I found this pin. THANKS!
Carole says
Thanks Cheryl and I couldn’t agree more 🙂
Wanda says
Made this for dinner tonight. …it was DELICIOUS!
Carole says
I’m so glad you loved it Wanda!
Carrie says
Absolutely delicious! I hardly ever make a recipe more than once, so this will be added to my recipe box I bought off of Etsy 🙂
Carole says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Carrie!
Cheryl says
This was the first ‘recipe’ I’ve made in years. I usually grill a chicken breast, make a fresh vegetables and that’s dinner. I’m back on a low carb, low sugar ‘diet’ and wanted to make something good. It took a while to make this, but I enjoyed the process. My boyfriend was astounded by how good this was and so was I. I’m looking forward to trying out your other recipes now. Thank you!!
Carole says
I’m so glad you came back to start trying out some recipes Cheryl! This is one of my all time favorite low carb recipes and I’m glad you enjoyed it as well.
Lynn Fitzpatrick says
Could this be made ahead of time and then just warmed up? I would like to make it for company but I’m not very good at cooking while talking with guests. Thanks. Lynn
Carole says
Hey there Lynn! That would work or you could plan for all the prep work to be done before your company arrives and then put it in the oven when they arrive. Time to visit while it bakes in the oven
Hali says
This is one of my favorite recipes! I love the combo of cheesy-creamy with mushrooms! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Carole says
You are very welcome Hali! It is till one of my favorites as well
Jeannie says
I have made this several times…it has become one of our favorite dinners! I usually make some angel hair pasta to go with it…the sauce from the spinach/cream cheese/mushroom mixture is wonderful over the pasta. If you’re looking to lighten the calories, use Greek cream cheese (Green Mountain Farms) it has 1/2 the fat content, made with yogurt.
★★★★★
Carole says
Thank you Jeannie for coming back and sharing your review with my recipe and for your great tips!
Kasey says
Think you could make the spinach combo ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you are ready to start baking?
Carole says
Hey there Kasey! I think it would, but have never tried it. Let me know how it works for you!
Lisa says
This was very good and not time consuming at all. Yes, I added the cream cheese and it was yummy! I make a lot of chicken, and cooked the chicken 20 minutes for the first bake and 20 minutes for the second bake. Chicken came out perfect and juicy. 4 cloves of garlic is a bit too much for us, so I made the recipe using just 2 cloves. Next time I make this I will increase the amount of spinach and double the mushrooms. Thanks for the recipe! Husband loved it!
★★★★★
Carole says
I’m glad it was a hit Lisa!
Nannj says
Made this tonight exactly as posted. It was delicious,,,,
Carole says
Thank you for coming back and letting me know! Glad you loved it
Ginny says
I tried this for dinner last night. My recipe turned out with a lot of liquid on the bottom. What did I do wrong?
Carole says
Hey Ginny! Yes, there will be some liquid on the bottom because the spinach, chicken, and mushrooms will lose liquid as they bake. If you want less moisture next time, try baking it on a rimmed baking sheet and spread the chicken farther apart. This will allow more of the moisture to evaporate. Also, be sure your oven is 100% at temperature before you put it in the oven to minimize the moisture.