Easy One Pan Spinach Mushroom Chicken

Spinach Mushroom Chicken is a comforting and elegant dinner that makes you feel like you have it all together, even on a busy Tuesday night. Tender chicken cutlets are nestled in a silky white wine sauce with earthy mushrooms and vibrant spinach, all cooked in one skillet. It is fancy enough for company but easy enough to make after work, which is exactly the sweet spot we all love.

Love More Apple Desserts Recipes? Try My Chicken and Spinach Casserole or this Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Spinach next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One-pan magic – Less cleanup means more time to actually enjoy dinner with your family
• Ready in 40 minutes – From fridge to table faster than ordering takeout
• Tastes like you spent hours – The white wine pan sauce is pure elegance without any complicated techniques
• Flexible and forgiving – Easy substitutions mean you can make it work with what’s already in your fridge
• Weeknight to weekend worthy – Casual enough for Tuesday, impressive enough for Saturday night guests

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Chicken:

• 2 pounds thin-sliced chicken cutlets, pounded flat (store-bought cutlets work beautifully here)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for a golden, crispy coating)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (divided for cooking)

For the Sauce:

• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (white button mushrooms work too)
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced (don’t skip this – it’s the soul of the dish)
• 12 ounces baby spinach (about 3/4 pound or a big handful from the bag)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is perfect)
• 3 tablespoons butter (for that silky finish)

Optional Thickener:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Why These Ingredients Work

The thin chicken cutlets are the secret to getting dinner on the table fast. They cook through in minutes and stay tender.

Pounding them flat ensures even cooking, so you won’t have dried-out edges and raw centers.

The flour dredge creates a light coating that helps the chicken brown beautifully. It also thickens your sauce as it cooks.

Cremini mushrooms bring deep, earthy flavor that makes this dish feel hearty and satisfying. They release their moisture as they cook, concentrating their flavor and turning golden at the edges.

The garlic gets sweet and mellow in the pan. The spinach wilts down into silky ribbons that soak up all that gorgeous sauce.

White wine and chicken stock create the sauce base. As they reduce, they pick up all those delicious brown bits stuck to the pan. That’s where the magic lives.

The butter stirred in at the end makes the sauce glossy and restaurant-quality. It’s the little touch that says “I know what I’m doing,” even if you’re winging it.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large skillet (12-inch works best for this one-pan wonder)
• Meat mallet or rolling pin (for pounding chicken if needed)
• Tongs (for flipping chicken)
• Wooden spoon (perfect for scraping up those flavorful brown bits)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cutting board and sharp knife
• Small bowl (if using cornstarch slurry)
• Aluminum foil (for tenting chicken)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Chicken

Cut your chicken cutlets into roughly 3-inch pieces—this makes them easier to manage in the pan and perfect for serving. Pat them completely dry with paper towels (this helps them brown instead of steam), then season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Dredge in Flour

Spread your flour on a plate and dredge each piece of chicken on all sides, then give it a good shake to remove excess flour. You want a light, even coating, not a thick crust.

Step 3: Sear the Chicken

Heat your large skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes per side until they’re golden and cooked through. Transfer them to a plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

Step 4: Cook the Mushrooms

Add your sliced mushrooms to that same beautiful pan. Let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes so they can brown and release their moisture, about 5-7 minutes total. Stir occasionally, but resist the urge to keep moving them around. Once they’re golden and gorgeous, you’re ready for the garlic.

Step 5: Add the Garlic

Toss in your sliced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Step 6: Deglaze and Build the Sauce

Season those mushrooms with salt and pepper, then pour in the wine and chicken stock. Turn the heat up to high and grab your wooden spoon. Let this bubble away until it reduces by about half, which takes 3-5 minutes. You’ll see it thicken slightly and smell even more amazing.

Step 7: Wilt the Spinach

Turn the heat down to medium and add your chicken back to the pan along with all that baby spinach. Cover the pan and let everything cook together for 2-3 minutes. The chicken warms through and the spinach becomes silky and tender.

Step 8: Thicken If Needed

Take a look at your sauce. If it’s nicely coating the back of a spoon, you’re golden. If it seems too thin and runny, mix your cornstarch with water in a small bowl until smooth, then add half of it to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until it thickens up.

Step 9: Finish with Butter

Taste and adjust your seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner, and stir in those 3 tablespoons of cubed butter.

Step 10: Serve

Spoon everything onto plates or a serving platter and make sure everyone gets plenty of that gorgeous sauce.

You Must Know

The biggest mistake people make with this recipe is not getting the pan hot enough before adding the chicken.

If your oil isn’t properly heated, the chicken will stick and steam instead of getting that beautiful golden crust. Wait until the oil shimmers and moves easily across the pan.

Don’t skip the deglazing step. Those brown bits stuck to the pan (called fond) are packed with concentrated flavor.

When you add the wine and stock and scrape them up, they dissolve into your sauce and add incredible depth. That’s the difference between a good pan sauce and a great one.

Personal Secret: After you’ve plated everything, I like to tilt the skillet and spoon that extra sauce from the edges over the top of each serving.

There’s always a little pool of the most concentrated, buttery goodness hiding in there. It makes each plate look like it came from a restaurant kitchen.

It’s my little finishing flourish that makes people think I’m fancier than I actually am.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Buy pre-sliced mushrooms to save yourself 5 minutes of prep time—sometimes convenient is just smart
• Room temperature chicken cooks more evenly, so take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking if you remember
• Don’t overcrowd the pan when searing chicken—work in batches if needed or everything steams and turns gray instead of golden
• Use a dry white wine you’d actually drink (like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)—if you wouldn’t sip it, don’t cook with it
• Keep that butter cold until you’re ready to stir it in at the very end—this helps it emulsify into the sauce instead of just melting into an oily puddle
• If your sauce breaks (looks oily or separated), just add a tablespoon of cold water and whisk vigorously—it’ll come back together like magic

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Want to change things up? Boneless skinless chicken thighs are absolutely delicious here. Just cook them 5-6 minutes per side since they’re a bit thicker. They stay incredibly juicy and have more flavor than white meat.

Don’t have white wine or don’t want to use it? Just substitute with extra chicken stock and add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end for brightness. You won’t get quite the same depth, but it’s still delicious.

For a richer, creamier sauce, skip the cornstarch slurry and stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream after you wilt the spinach. It turns this into pure comfort food heaven.

Go full Italian and top everything with shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese in the last minute of cooking. Let it melt over the top for a gooey, cheesy variation.

Want to make this heartier? Serve it over pasta (pappardelle or fettuccine are perfect) and shower it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Suddenly you’ve got a full Italian feast on your hands.

Make-Ahead Options

This dish is best served fresh, but you can definitely do some prep ahead to make dinnertime easier.

Pound and cut your chicken cutlets up to a day in advance. Season them and keep them covered in the fridge.

Slice your mushrooms and garlic and store them in separate containers so you can just dump and cook.

You can make the entire dish a few hours ahead and gently reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken stock to loosen the sauce.

The chicken won’t be quite as crispy, but the flavors will be just as good. Maybe even better since they’ve had time to mingle.

Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I actually love them reheated for lunch the next day.

You can microwave them (add a splash of water to keep things from drying out) or reheat gently in a covered skillet on the stovetop.

What to Serve With Spinach Mushroom Chicken

This dish is begging for crusty bread. A warm baguette or ciabatta for soaking up that incredible pan sauce is non-negotiable in my book.

Beyond that, keep the sides simple so this star can shine.

A light arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness perfectly. Roasted asparagus adds a nice pop of color and freshness.

Garlic mashed potatoes or creamy polenta would make this feel extra cozy and turn it into a real stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

If you’re serving this for company, start with a simple caprese salad or some roasted red peppers. Finish with a light lemon panna cotta or tiramisu.

Pour the same white wine you cooked with. It’ll tie everything together beautifully.

Allergy Information

This recipe contains gluten (from the flour), dairy (butter), and alcohol (white wine).

For gluten-free, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend or almond flour for dredging. It works just as well.

For dairy-free, substitute the butter with extra olive oil at the end. You’ll lose some richness but it’s still delicious. Or use a plant-based butter.

For alcohol-free, replace the wine with extra chicken stock plus 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice for acidity.

The dish is naturally nut-free and can easily be made low-carb by skipping the flour dredge entirely. Just season and sear the chicken as is.

The sauce won’t thicken quite as much on its own, so you might want to use the cornstarch slurry option.

Storage & Reheating

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The sauce will thicken as it sits (the flour and cornstarch keep working their magic). When you reheat, add a splash of chicken stock or water to loosen it back up.

To reheat on the stovetop, place everything in a skillet over medium-low heat with a few tablespoons of stock or water. Cover and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. About 5-7 minutes.

For the microwave, transfer to a microwave-safe dish, add a tablespoon of water, cover loosely, and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each.

I don’t recommend freezing this dish since the sauce can separate and the spinach gets a bit watery when thawed. But in a pinch, it’ll keep frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat gently with extra stock.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My sauce turned out too thick, how do I fix it?

No problem! Just add chicken stock or water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring over medium heat until it reaches the consistency you want. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon but still flow easily.

What if I don’t have thin chicken cutlets?

Just buy regular chicken breasts and do a little knife work. Slice each breast horizontally (like you’re opening a book) to create two thinner cutlets. Then pound them to about 1/2 inch thick with a meat mallet or rolling pin between two sheets of plastic wrap.

The chicken stuck to my pan, what did I do wrong?

The pan probably wasn’t hot enough when you added the chicken, or you moved it too soon. Make sure your oil is shimmering and hot before adding the chicken. Let it cook undisturbed for the full 3 minutes before trying to flip. It’ll release naturally once it’s got a good sear.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how it turned out for you and what you served alongside it.