Chicken and Spinach in Feta Cream Sauce

This chicken spinach feta pasta is tossed in a creamy feta sauce made with sour cream, chicken broth, feta, and Parmesan. There’s no heavy cream in it, and it comes together in one skillet while the pasta cooks.

This recipe is one of our all-time family favorites and an easy to make, go-to recipe when we have dinner guests. I usually make it with sour cream, but plain Greek yogurt works too. I’ve used both with the same results.

The one step that matters most is taking the skillet off the heat before you add in the sour cream. I’ll show you why below, along with how to make it with leftover or precooked chicken on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients 

The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.

• Chicken – I start with 3 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces. Leftover or precooked chicken works too.
• Chopped Onion and Minced Garlic
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt – I usually use light sour cream, but plain Greek yogurt gives the same results. Avoid fat-free versions, which are more likely to curdle.
• Fresh spinach – A full pound looks like far too much for one skillet, but it cooks down to a fraction of its size. Add it a few handfuls at a time and let each batch wilt before adding more.
• Chicken broth – Regular or low-sodium. Feta, Parmesan, and broth are all salty, so taste first and add additional salt if you'd like. Low-sodium broth gives you more control.
• Feta cheese and Parmesan- The feta softens into the sauce without fully melting, so you’ll still see small pieces. That’s how it should look.
• Pasta- Penne or rigatoni. Both hold the sauce in the tubes. But feel free to use any favorite noodles.

Reader favorite

One reader added mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and used chicken thighs instead of breasts.

How to Make Chicken Spinach Feta Pasta

Step 1: Cook the penne or rigatoni according to the al dente package directions, then drain.

Step 2: While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced chicken, garlic, and onion and cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Move the chicken to a plate. You can also bake the chicken ahead of time at 350° F for 30-40 minutes.

Step 3: Pour ¼ cup of broth into the skillet. Add the spinach a few handfuls of spinach at a time and cook on medium heat until it wilts.

Step 4: Take the skillet off the burner. Stir in the rest of the broth, sour cream, feta, Parmesan, and pepper and salt if using.

Step 5: Add the chicken back into the skillet and let it heat through for a 1-2 minutes.

Serve over the cooked pasta.

How to Keep the Sour Cream Sauce from Curdling

Sour cream and Greek yogurt can turn grainy or separate if they get too hot, and once that happens you can’t undo it.

I take the skillet off the burner before stirring in the room remaining broth and sour cream. The heat left in the pan warms it through without shocking it. A few more things help:

Take the chill off. Set the sour cream on the counter when you start cooking so it isn’t ice cold when it hits the hot pan.

Temper it if you’re nervous. Stir a few spoonfuls of the hot broth into the sour cream in a small bowl first, one at a time, then add it to the skillet.

Skip fat-free. Light or regular sour cream holds up better.

Don’t bring it back to a boil. Once the sour cream is in, keep it off high heat, including when you reheat leftovers.

Make Ahead, Serving, and Variations

Using precooked chicken - Leftovers or a bag of my freezer crockpot chicken turns this into a quick weeknight dinner. Skip sauting the chicken in Step 2.  Sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil, then add the broth and spinach, and stir in the 3-4 cups of cooked chicken to heat through before taking the pan off the heat.

What to serve with it - Crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce and a simple side salad.

Swap the chicken for sautéed shrimp or scallops.

Leftovers – Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power for about 1 minute, or until heated through. The lower power keeps the sauce smooth, and it holds up well.

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Chicken and Spinach in Feta Cream Sauce

This chicken spinach feta pasta recipe has a creamy sauce made with sour cream, feta, and Parmesan. It's great for weeknights or dinner guests.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 474kcal

Author: Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ cup onion chopped
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
• ▢ 8 oz light sour cream
• ▢ ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
• ▢ ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• ▢ Pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 lb fresh spinach
• ▢ 1 lb Penne Pasta or Rigatoni

Instructions

• Cook the chicken in olive oil with garlic and onion until completely cooked through. Remove from pan and place in separate bowl. Or you can also bake the chicken ahead of time at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
  3 chicken breasts, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup onion
• Add ¼ cup chicken broth to the pan and sauté the spinach on medium heat until wilted.
  1 cup chicken broth, 8 oz light sour cream, ½ cup feta cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, Pepper to taste
• Remove the skillet from the burner and add the remaining ¾ cup of chicken broth, sour cream, feta, parmesan, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
  1 lb fresh spinach
• Add the chicken back into sauce and simmer on low for about 5 minutes just to heat through. Do not bring to a boil.
• Serve over pasta.
• Tip: If you like a thicker sauce, you can mix 1 tablespoon of flour and ¼ cup of cold water and add this to the sauce to thicken it.
  1 lb Penne Pasta

Notes

1. Sour cream: Stir it in off the heat to keep the sauce from curdling. Plain Greek yogurt works the same way.
2. Salt: The feta, Parmesan, and broth add plenty of salt. Taste before adding more.
3. Precooked chicken: Use 3-4 cups of cooked chicken and add it with the spinach.
4. Thicker sauce: Whisk 1 tablespoon flour into ¼ cup cold water and stir it into the broth before adding the sour cream.
5. Reheating: Microwave at 50% power for about 1 minute, or until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 383mg | Potassium: 941mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7315IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclosure

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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