This creamy Chicken Spinach Alfredo pasta is all made in one pot so there's minimal washing up and it comes together in less than 25 minutes. I hope you love it as much as I do!
I'm currently obsessed with pasta dishes and this saucy recipe is up there with my top favorites including my pesto pasta meatballs recipe, sweet potato pasta sauce, and my one pot Lemon Boursin Pasta.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
One pot: that's right, this creamy chicken spinach alfredo recipe is all made in one pan. We fry off the chicken until golden and then cook our sauce and pasta in the same pan for extra flavour. There's minimal washing up and it's super easy to make. Check out my tomato orzotto for another one pot meal.
Saucy: I don't know about you, but I love a saucy pasta. And this alfredo pasta with chicken and spinach is super duper saucy.
Made by someone you can trust: for those of you who are new here, my name's Emily and I'm an ex-chef, turned food content creator/recipe developer. I adore testing and creating new recipes and sharing them with you. I don't use AI, I take inspiration from magazines, travel, restaurants, books, friends, and turn my thoughts into dishes that I think you'll love and want to make over and over again. So, I hope you love this dish, if so, then check out more of my recipes to make in the future!
What is Alfredo Pasta?
Traditional Alfredo (fettuccine alfredo) is made primarily with butter and parmesan. However, as the dish adapted and became more popular in the United States, it's typically now made with cream and garlic for extra richness and flavor. It's also now known to be paired with ingredients like chicken, shrimp, and vegetables like spinach!
It's quite an indulgent dish so I recently made a high protein, "healthier" version if you fancy trying it!! It's my silken tofu pasta sauce recipe that's heavily inspired by alfredo sauce.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chicken: I'm using chicken breast for this recipe but you could totally use skinless and boneless chicken thighs or ground chicken if you like. For an alternative meat choice, I think pork steaks would go really well with this. Or for a leaner meat, shredded turkey!
Paprika: smoked or sweet paprika are great to just add a bit of a flavor dimension to this creamy pasta dish. If you don't have paprika, you could use mild chili powder or cayenne.
Garlic: fresh garlic is best. Otherwise, use ¼ teaspoon - ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
Chicken stock: I'm combining 1 chicken stock cube with boiling water to make the chicken stock but feel free to use homemade chicken broth if you've got it.
Cream: single or light cream works fine in this dish. If you're wanting a richer, creamier sauce, then go for double or heavy cream.
Pasta: you can use fettuccine or tagliatelle to stay as close to this recipe as possible. But linguine, spaghetti, or any long pasta would be great! Of course, you could totally use short pasta too like penne, rigatoni, or fusilli.
Spinach: fresh spinach is my preferred choice here, but if you've only got frozen, then use that!
Parmesan: we want freshly grated parmesan in the sauce and then as a garnish. Feel free to use pecorino if you don't have parmesan.
For the full ingredients list with measurements and instructions, scroll down this blog to the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Place a large skillet / deep pan on medium heat and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add in the chicken and season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Sear on all sides for 10 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside while we make the rest of the alfredo pasta.
Step 2: In the same pan, add in the butter followed by 50ml of chicken stock and the chopped garlic. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape the base of the pan to infuse the stock with the chicken juices left on the base of the pan. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Next up, add the rest of the chicken stock and 200ml cream. Add in the uncooked pasta, place on the lid of the pan, and bring up to a simmer. Stir the pasta every couple of minutes to prevent that pasta from sticking to the base of the pan. Cook the pasta until al dente.
Step 4: Once the pasta is nearly cooked, add in the spinach, grated parmesan, cooked chicken, flaky salt, ground black pepper, the rest of the cream, and an additional 100ml of water or stock to loosen up the sauce if needed. Stir to combine and to wilt the spinach.
Step 5: Once the spinach has wilted and the pasta is cooked, you're ready to serve up. The sauce should be nice and saucy, if it's reduced too much or looks a bit dry, add in 50-100ml water or stock and that'll loosen it all up! Give it a good mix, then serve up, garnish with grated parmesan, and enjoy!
FAQs
Leave the pasta to cool, then place in airtight containers and into the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a splash of water into the container and microwave (lid ajar) until piping hot, giving it a good mix halfway.
Because if you don't remove it, it will overcook and go dry.
A side salad, garlic bread, or caprese salad would be my three options.
I'm using tagliatelle, but you could use linguine, spaghetti, or for a shorter pasta; penne, fusilli, or rigatoni.
For sure, add in ½ teaspoon chili flakes or top the final dish with chili oil.
More Pasta Recipes
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Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@myriadrecipes).
Chicken Spinach Alfredo (Easy One Pot Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon butter around 15g butter
- 4 garlic cloves grated
- 500 ml chicken stock store-bought or homemade
- 300 ml cream light or single
- 200 g tagliatelle or any type of pasta you fancy!
- 20 g parmesan grated, plus extra for garnish
- 150 g fresh spinach
Instructions
- Place a large skillet / deep pot or frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add in the chicken and season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Sear on all sides for 10 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside while we make the rest of the alfredo pasta.
- In the same pan, add in the butter followed by 50ml of chicken stock and the chopped garlic. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape the base of the pan to infuse the stock with the chicken juices left on the base of the pan. Stir to combine.
- Next up, add the rest of the chicken stock and 200ml of cream (save the rest for later). Add in the uncooked pasta, place on the lid of the pan, and bring up to a simmer. Stir the pasta every couple of minutes to prevent that pasta from sticking to the base of the pan. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions or until al dente.
- Once the pasta is nearly cooked, add in the spinach, grated parmesan, cooked chicken, flaky salt, ground black pepper, the rest of the cream, and an additional 100ml of water or stock to loosen up the sauce if needed. Stir to combine and to wilt the spinach for a minute or two.
- Once the spinach has wilted and the pasta is cooked, you're ready to serve up. The sauce should be nice and saucy, if it's reduced too much or looks a bit dry, add in 50-100ml water or stock and that'll loosen it all up! Give it a good mix, then serve up, garnish with grated parmesan, and enjoy!
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