Skillet Chicken Spaghetti With Spinach

Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach is a comforting and quick dinner, combining tender chicken, noodles, pasta sauce, cream cheese, and spinach. A complete and delicious meal that comes together in 30-minutes or less!

Post update on 3/3/2025

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What You’ll Love About Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

Most of us grew up on classic spaghetti and meat sauce— a meal that is mom approved for quick weeknight dinners, and what kid doesn’t love a plate of saucy noodles.

This Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach is an amped up version using chicken for protein, cream cheese for a velvety, creamy sauce, and added spinach to make it a complete meal.

Like traditional spaghetti, this recipe comes together super fast and you only need a handful of ingredients. It feels like a step above but with very little effort.

If you enjoy the flavors of classic spaghetti but want something a little extra, try my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole.

Key Ingredients

• Oil- Use olive oil to sauté the chicken and onions.
• Onions- Enhance the flavor of the sauce.
• Chicken- Chicken breast keep this dish light and it cooks quickly.
• Seasonings- Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
• Sauce- I use a simple tomato basil pasta sauce.
• Cream cheese- To keep this dish a little lighter I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
• Pasta- I use classic spaghetti noodles.
• Spinach- Use fresh baby spinach.

Substitutions and Additions

How To Make Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Meanwhile, sauté onions and chicken with olive oil in a large skillet, then add seasonings, pasta sauce, and cream cheese.

Step Two. Stir mixture until cream cheese is fully melted and sauce is smooth, then add cooked pasta, spinach, and pasta water. Combine and cook another few minutes just until spinach is wilted.

Tips

Common Questions

What To Serve With Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

• Crunchy Lemon Parmesan Salad
• Marinated Vegetable Salad
• English Muffin Garlic Bread
• Green Beans Almondine

Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

Skillet Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach is a comforting and quick dinner, combining tender chicken, noodles, pasta sauce, cream cheese, and spinach. A complete and delicious meal that comes together in 30-minutes or less!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 422kcal

Equipment

• 1 large, deep skillet
• 1 large pot

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion chopped fine
• 1 lb chicken breast diced in small pieces
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups jarred pasta sauce I use tomato basil
• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups reserved pasta water

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium heat and add olive oil, onions, and chicken. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.

  1 tbsp olive oil

  1 cup chopped onions

  1 lb chicken cut in pieces
• Next add seasonings, pasta sauce, and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth.

  2 tsp Italian seasoning

  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

  1 tsp kosher salt

  1/2 tsp ground black pepper

  1 1/2 cups pasta sauce

  8 oz cream cheese
• Add in cooked pasta, spinach, and pasta water. Use tongs to combine and taste for seasonings.

  4 cups spinach

  1 1/2-2 cups pasta water

Notes

Tips:

• Use a large skillet or pan- Make sure to use a large enough pan to fit the pasta, chicken, and sauce.
• Cook pasta al dente- Be sure to cook your pasta just shy of al dente since it will cook further in the sauce.
• Reserve pasta water- Pasta water has a lot of starch which will help thicken the sauce and enhance the creaminess.

 

Substitutions and Additions: 

• Meat- Other meat alternatives include chicken thigh meat, ground chicken, and ground turkey.
• Pasta sauce– Use your favorite store-brand pasta sauce or homemade.
• Pasta- Any medium shape pasta will work for this recipe–options include linguini, fettuccini, penne, spiral, and bowtie.
• Cheese- Add a layer of parmesan or mozzarella cheese for an even cheesier spaghetti pasta experience.
• Herbs- Fresh herbs offer a wonderful flavor–parsley or basil will compliment this dish.

 

Common Questions:

Can I freeze chicken spaghetti?

Yes! Make chicken spaghetti according to the instructions. Transfer to a freezer safe pan (one that can be put in the oven) and allow to cool completely. Cover tightly with two layers of foil and freeze up to three months. When ready to heat allow to thaw and place in the oven covered at 350℉ and bake for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

Can I make this vegetarian?

Yes! To make this vegetarian simply leave out the chicken and it will still be delicious. You can add other veggies to bulk up the meal–zucchini, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, kale.

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 949mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2620IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg

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