'I Tried Martha Stewart's One-Pan Lemon Chicken With Spinach & Artichokes, and an Ingredient Swap Made All the Difference'
Your favorite dip, but as a one-pan winner winner chicken dinner.
Martha Stewart, the original lifestyle influencer, makes a one-pan chicken recipe that literally takes my favorite appetizer, and turns it into an amazing meal. Creamy Lemon Chicken with Spinach and Artichokes is everything you love about the classic spinach and artichoke dip, with the added protein benefits of chicken.
With everything cooked in the same pan, this recipe is a quick and simple way to put a healthy meal on the table the whole family will love! What's even better is that it tastes like something you would order in a fine-dining restaurant. No one has to know how easy it is to make at home, however.
When it comes to easy meal options, chicken dinners are the go-to in our house. Whether it be cutlets, breasts or tenders these dinner helpers make getting a delicious and healthy meal on the table a breeze.
Related: 40 Best Chicken Breast Recipes
Theresa Greco
What cut of chicken is best?
For this recipe, I prefer to use chicken breasts that have been pounded thin. Using uniformly sized chicken breasts guarantees the chicken cooks evenly without drying out. If you are feeding children, chopping the chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking will also work; although it is important to adjust the cooking time for the smaller pieces. Seriously though, breasts, tenders or cutlets will all work well.
Related: 61 Epic Casseroles
Ingredients Needed
Theresa Greco
To keep the dish on the lighter side, I used a splash of half and half vs. the cream cheese recommended in Stewart's original recipe. I also omitted the lemon as I prefer citrus free when it comes to creamy dishes. Note that if you don't have fresh thyme, dried is fine (just use a little less). Also, for this recipe don't fret if you don't have broth—water and a bouillon cube or even plain water will work equally as well. For a unique twist, sun-dried tomatoes, added with spinach and artichokes, also work well. Otherwise, the ingredients are similar to Stewart's version.
1 pound chicken cutlets
salt and freshly ground pepper
all-purpose flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or the equivalent of water and bouillon or plain water)
2-3 tablespoons half & half
10 ounces of baby spinach
9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, quartered
1 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Related: 28 Best Martha Stewart Recipes
How to make Martha Stewart's creamy chicken with spinach and artichokes
Martha Stewart's Original Creamy Lemon Chicken with Spinach and Artichokes Recipe
This recipe is super simple. Pan-seared chicken is nestled among the spinach and artichokes and allowed to simmer in the decadent sauce made from broth/water and half and half. You will need about 40 mins from start to finish to get this gourmet meal on the table any day of the week!
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
Theresa Greco
2. Add butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. When butter melts, add chicken in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown in places but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Theresa Greco
Theresa Greco
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and thyme to the skillet; cook until fragrant, 10 seconds. Stir in broth and cook until mixture boils. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Theresa Greco
4. Stir in artichokes, half and half and cheese and cook an additional 1 minute.
Theresa Greco
5. Return chicken and accumulated juices to skillet. Simmer, shaking pan occasionally, until sauce is reduced and thickened slightly and chicken is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
Theresa Greco
A few cooking tips
Since this is all cooked in one pan be sure to use a pan that is large enough to hold all the ingredients snugly but not too tight.
Be sure to let the pan cool slightly before adding garlic as it will easily burn.
Martha Stewart’s version of this recipe uses cream cheese to make the sauce. I used half and half instead mainly because I find cream cheese too heavy. In fact, I typically will shy away from recipes using cream cheese unless there is an easy substitute (this was easy).
Chicken breasts, tenders or cutlets all work well in this recipe. The key is to make sure that whichever cut you use is evenly pounded thin.
Related: 16 Simple One-Pan Recipes
How to serve Martha Stewart's creamy chicken with spinach and artichokes
This dish can easily stand alone as it is very filling. However, a side of rice or bread would also work well here. If you are serving this as a special occasion meal—because yes it is that good—I would suggest a well-balanced Italian white, such as Pino Grigio.
Here's what I thought
OK, I knew before even making this, that I was going to love it...I mean creamy artichoke and spinach dip is by far my favorite combo. However, I wasn't sure whether would I like the chicken mixed in. The verdict: I loved it! The chicken gives the whole thing an extra boost of taste and texture. The best part was that I had leftovers to eat for lunch the next day.
