Mushroom Chicken with Creamy Spinach Sauce

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!

1. Bake the chicken halfway in the oven after seasoning it well.
2. Cook the mushrooms in a hot skillet with butter and seasonings. Set aside.
3. Wilt the spinach in the skillet before adding the cream cheese and cooked mushrooms.
4. Slather the chicken with the creamy mushroom and spinach sauce. 
5. Top with mozzarella cheese over each piece of chicken.
6. Finish baking the chicken in the oven.
7. 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

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This low carb chicken dinner recipe is just dang amazing!  So flavorful and satisfying even though it is healthy.

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

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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

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Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

• Author: Carole Jones
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main dish
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

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

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