Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach is the kind of skillet pasta that feels cozy without asking you to stand at the stove all night. The sauce is rich, but not heavy, with garlic, Parmesan, and just enough pasta water to help it cling to every tube of penne.

I like this one because it uses everyday ingredients and gives you a proper dinner in about 40 minutes. No fancy cheese. No fussy steps. Just chicken, pasta, cream, spinach, and a pan that gets scraped clean.

Why Make This Recipe

This is one of those creamy chicken pasta recipes that works on a regular Tuesday because the timing is simple and the ingredients are easy to find. The chicken browns first, which leaves little golden bits in the pan, and those bits make the sauce taste like you worked harder than you did.

Penne is a good choice here because the ridges catch the cream sauce and the hollow centers hold little pockets of garlic and Parmesan. You can read a quick overview of penne pasta if you like knowing why different pasta shapes behave differently in sauces.

The spinach wilts right into the hot sauce at the end, so you don’t need a second pan for vegetables. I don’t chop it unless the leaves are huge. Baby spinach goes in as it is, and it looks like too much for about 30 seconds before it softens down.

For another easy creamy dinner, you might also like my One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta. If you want something with a stronger garlic-Parmesan flavor, my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is a good one to keep close by.

How to Make Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional

Directions:

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes. Servings: 4.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the penne and cook until just al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes, or 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Dry chicken browns better, and browning matters here.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave it alone for 3 minutes so it can get golden on the bottom. Stir and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through and browned in spots.
4. Move the chicken to a plate. If you are checking with a thermometer, chicken should reach 165°F in the thickest piece, as recommended by the USDA safe temperature chart.
5. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once it melts, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until it smells good. Don’t let it brown hard, because burnt garlic will make the whole sauce taste sharp.
6. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. It will look a little pasty, and that’s fine. This small spoonful of flour helps the sauce hold together without turning it into gravy.
7. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. Those browned bits should loosen up and darken the sauce slightly. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
8. Stir in the heavy cream and bring it to a gentle simmer. Keep the heat at medium or a little lower. A hard boil can make cream sauce look greasy, and nobody wants that.
9. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring after each addition. Use freshly grated Parmesan if you can. The pre-shredded kind often has anti-caking powder and doesn’t melt as smoothly.
10. Add the drained penne and cooked chicken back to the skillet. Toss everything together for 1 to 2 minutes, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce looks too thick. It should coat the pasta, not sit in a puddle.
11. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 minute, just until wilted. Add lemon juice and red pepper flakes if using. Taste before adding the last 1/4 teaspoon salt, because Parmesan and broth can vary quite a bit.
12. Take the skillet off the heat and let the pasta rest for 2 minutes before serving. The sauce thickens as it sits, and the penne finishes soaking up the flavor.

How to Serve Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

Serve this pasta hot, right from the skillet, with extra Parmesan and parsley on top. A little black pepper over each bowl is nice too. I don’t pile on a lot of garnish here because the sauce is the point.

A crisp green salad works well on the side, especially one with lemony dressing. Garlic bread is good too, and I won’t pretend otherwise. If you want to keep dinner lighter, serve smaller pasta portions with roasted broccoli or green beans.

This is also a good dish for shallow bowls instead of flat plates. The sauce settles around the pasta, and you can catch every bit with a fork. If you’re making a bigger pasta night, the creamy style here pairs nicely with the cozy feel of Chicken Pot Pie Orzo, though I wouldn’t serve both at once unless everyone is very hungry.

How to Store Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

Let leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For food safety, the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart is a handy reference for cooked leftovers.

Creamy pasta thickens in the fridge. That’s normal. Reheat it gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of milk, cream, broth, or water. Stir often and stop as soon as it’s hot. The mistake people make is blasting it on high heat, which can split the sauce and dry out the chicken.

You can microwave individual portions too. Add a tablespoon of liquid, cover loosely, and heat in 45-second bursts, stirring between each one. I don’t love freezing this dish because cream sauces can turn grainy after thawing, but it can be done if you don’t mind a softer texture.

Tips to Make Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

• Use a 12-inch skillet. A smaller pan crowds the chicken and makes it steam instead of brown.
• Save pasta water before draining. That starchy water loosens the sauce while keeping it glossy.
• Cut the chicken evenly. One-inch pieces cook fast and stay tender.
• Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer. Heavy cream behaves best when it’s warmed steadily, not boiled hard.
• Grate the Parmesan yourself. It melts smoother and gives the sauce a cleaner taste.
• Add spinach at the end. If it cooks too long, it gets dark and stringy.
• Taste after adding cheese. Parmesan brings salt, so don’t season blindly.
• Use lemon juice. Just one tablespoon makes the creamy sauce feel balanced instead of flat.
• Thin the sauce before serving if needed. A splash of pasta water can fix a sauce that got too thick while resting.
• Don’t rinse the pasta. The starch on the surface helps the sauce stick.

Variation

For a tomato cream version, stir 2 tablespoons of tomato paste into the garlic and butter before adding the flour. Cook it for about 1 minute, until it turns a darker red, then continue with the broth and cream. It gives the sauce a soft pink color and a little sweetness without turning this into a full tomato pasta.

You can also swap the spinach for chopped kale, but give it 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Mushrooms are good too. Brown 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms after the chicken comes out, then make the sauce in the same pan. If you like heat, add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper with the garlic.

Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach

Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach is a cozy skillet pasta with chicken, penne, cream, spinach, garlic, Parmesan, and pasta water to help the sauce cling to the pasta. It uses everyday ingredients and makes dinner in about 40 minutes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley optional

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the penne and cook until just al dente, usually 10 to 11 minutes, or 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Dry chicken browns better, and browning matters here.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave it alone for 3 minutes so it can get golden on the bottom. Stir and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through and browned in spots.
4. Move the chicken to a plate. If you are checking with a thermometer, chicken should reach 165°F in the thickest piece, as recommended by the USDA safe temperature chart.
5. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once it melts, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until it smells good. Don't let it brown hard, because burnt garlic will make the whole sauce taste sharp.
6. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. It will look a little pasty, and that's fine. This small spoonful of flour helps the sauce hold together without turning it into gravy.
7. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. Those browned bits should loosen up and darken the sauce slightly. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
8. Stir in the heavy cream and bring it to a gentle simmer. Keep the heat at medium or a little lower. A hard boil can make cream sauce look greasy, and nobody wants that.
9. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring after each addition. Use freshly grated Parmesan if you can. The pre-shredded kind often has anti-caking powder and doesn't melt as smoothly.
10. Add the drained penne and cooked chicken back to the skillet. Toss everything together for 1 to 2 minutes, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce looks too thick. It should coat the pasta, not sit in a puddle.
11. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 minute, just until wilted. Add lemon juice and red pepper flakes if using. Taste before adding the last 1/4 teaspoon salt, because Parmesan and broth can vary quite a bit.
12. Take the skillet off the heat and let the pasta rest for 2 minutes before serving. The sauce thickens as it sits, and the penne finishes soaking up the flavor.

Notes

Use a 12-inch skillet so the chicken browns instead of steaming. Save pasta water to loosen and gloss the sauce, keep the cream at a gentle simmer, grate the Parmesan yourself, add spinach at the end, and don't rinse the pasta. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of milk, cream, broth, or water.

FAQs

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?

Yes, boneless skinless chicken thighs work very well. Cut them into 1-inch pieces and cook them the same way, but give them an extra minute or two if needed. Thighs stay juicy and have a little more flavor, so they’re a nice choice for creamy chicken pasta recipes.

Can I make this with milk instead of heavy cream?

You can, but the sauce will be thinner and less rich. Whole milk is the best option if you’re skipping cream. I would keep the flour in the recipe and simmer the sauce gently until it coats the spoon. Don’t use skim milk here. It just doesn’t give enough body.

Why did my cream sauce turn grainy?

Usually it means the heat was too high or the cheese was added too quickly. Take the pan off direct heat for a moment before stirring in Parmesan, and add it by the handful. Pre-shredded cheese can also cause a gritty texture, so fresh grated is the better choice.

Conclusion

Creamy Chicken Penne with Spinach is simple, filling, and steady enough for a busy night when you still want a real meal. Keep the heat gentle, save that pasta water, and give the chicken room to brown. You’ll end up with tender pasta, a smooth garlic Parmesan sauce, and a skillet dinner that feels worth sitting down for.