Creamy Balsamic Chicken with Spinach
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Creamy balsamic chicken with spinach tastes so elegant, it’s hard to believe it takes just one skillet and about 30 minutes. You’ll crisp bacon, pan-fry tender chicken breasts, then whip up the most deliciously light balsamic cream sauce and tuck in a few dark leafy greens. This is the definition of restaurant-worthy at home!
Easy chicken skillet dinners are always a hit here, especially when they include a light cream sauce that beckons you to lick the pan, plate, or fork for every last drop. The tang of balsamic perfectly marries together these chicken breasts, spinach, and bacon, resulting in a meal you can enjoy any weeknight or feel great serving guests on any occasion.
This recipe originated from a similar chicken and mushrooms dish that I love and have also adapted into balsamic pork chops. The sauce truly shines here. We just swirl in a drizzle of umami-rich Worcestershire sauce to compensate for the missing fungi, and it’s actually even faster and easier than the original.
Serve with a simple salad and garlic bread, or dress up the menu with thyme-roasted carrots, pesto green beans, and breadsticks from scratch. Either way, this chicken is likely to steal the show!
Why You’ll Love This Balsamic Chicken Recipe
- Flavorful, fresh, and exciting
- Achievable start to finish in 30 minutes or less
- One-pan method to deliver layers of taste—and minimal dishes
- Chicken cutlets stay tender, juicy, and well-seasoned
- Everyday ingredient list and easy to deconstruct for picky eaters
- Versatile flavors to accompany most any side dish or salad you love
Ingredient Notes
One Pan for Layers of Flavor
Using one pan for everything doesn’t just mean that this meal is easy on the dishwasher. It also means that the fond, or browned bits left behind from cooking each successive ingredient, are incorporated into the sauce, rather than rinsed down the drain. That’s smart cooking!
Begin by pan-frying the bacon. Choose a large skillet, even though you’re only cooking a couple of slices: eventually it will hold everything.
Once the bacon is nice and crisp, remove it to a plate. Next comes the chicken, which you’ll have sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then dredged lightly through flour to form a light crust.
No gluten? No problem.
If you don’t want to use all-purpose flour, you can substitute almond flour as a 1-for-1, or just skip the step of dredging the chicken. It will still brown nicely on the outside. Without flour, the sauce will not thicken up quite so quickly, but you can just simmer it for an extra minute or two to compensate if you like.
Pan fry the chicken until golden, then remove it to a plate, as well. Now you’ll just make the quick balsamic cream sauce in the same skillet.
Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, return chicken breasts to the pan, tuck baby spinach in, as well, and sprinkle the bacon—chopped or crumbled into small pieces—on top.
Dinner is done!
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
- To Make Ahead: This chicken works reasonably well as a make-ahead meal; prepare it fully, ideally in a lidded skillet, cover and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, warm over medium-low heat with the lid still on, spooning a bit of sauce over each chicken breast every few minutes.
- To Store: Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly-covered container. They will keep for at least 3-4 days. Reheat as needed in the microwave on 50% power or in a small saucepan. Using half power in the microwave reduces the chance that your carefully-cooked chicken will dry out when reheated.
More Tasty Chicken Skillets
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Easy Chicken Piccata
- Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Creamy Balsamic Chicken with Spinach
Ingredients
- 2-3 strips bacon
- 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour see note
- 1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream see note
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add bacon, and cook until browned and crisp. Remove to a plate and crumble or chop into small pieces. Leave bacon fat in the pan.2-3 strips bacon
- While the bacon cooks, sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with garlic powder and about 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place flour on a shallow plate. Dredge each piece of chicken through it to coat on both sides, shaking gently to remove excess flour.4 thin-sliced chicken breasts, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- After removing the bacon, add chicken to the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden on the outside and cooked through to 165°F. Add a drizzle of olive oil if the pan starts to look dry. Remove chicken and set aside along with the bacon.1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Add broth, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. Scrape to release any browned bits. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook 1-2 minutes, until slightly reduced.1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Add cream and stir until the sauce is smooth.1/2 cup heavy cream
- Return chicken and bacon to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes to thicken sauce more and warm the chicken. Add spinach and cook 1 minute more to let it wilt. Serve and enjoy!2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
Notes
- Chicken Breasts: You can purchase these already thin-sliced to save time, if you like, or purchase regular chicken breasts and butterfly them yourself down the middle, cutting all the way through to make two breasts into four cutlets. For the most tender chicken, you also can lay each cutlet flat on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound a few times with the flat side of a meat mallet or a heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Chicken Broth: I recommend using low-sodium so you can control how salty the finished dish is. Feel free to swap white wine for a splash of the broth for another dimension.
- Cream: If possible, measure and set the cream on the counter while preparing the early steps of the recipe. Fridge-cold cream is more difficult to whisk smoothly into a simmering sauce. Heavy or light cream work well; half-and-half is alright but does yield a thinner sauce, as you’d expect.
- Gluten-Free: If you don’t want to use all-purpose flour, substitute almond flour 1-for-1, or leave it out and skip the step of dredging the chicken before adding to the skillet. The sauce will not thicken up quite so quickly, but you can just simmer it for an extra minute or two to compensate if you like.
- Make-Ahead: Prepare it fully, ideally in a lidded skillet, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, warm over medium-low heat with the lid still on, spooning a bit of sauce over each chicken breast every few minutes.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly-covered lid. They will keep for at least 3-4 days. Reheat as needed in the microwave on 50% power (to reduce odds of drying out) or in a small saucepan.
