Creamy garlic Chicken with Spinach and Bacon – Rich, creamy, and hearty, the entire family will love this easy chicken recipe. It has an amazing flavor because of sauteed garlic, bacon, and parmesan that cut through the cream and spinach. You can make this chicken, bacon and spinach recipe on a weeknight right on your stove top. With only 30 minutes of total work, this chicken dinner recipe is simple, fast and delicious – Enjoy!
Love creamy chicken recipes? Try our CrockPot Creamy Tuscan Chicken, this Creamy Chicken Breast, or our Creamy Spinach Chicken Gnocchi.
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach and Bacon
- 6 chicken thighs, boneless and skin off (or chicken breast)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth (or dry white wine)
- 1/2 cup crispy bacon, chopped
- 1 3/4 cups half and half
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- Crushed chili pepper flakes, optional
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoon of water (optional, if you like a thicker sauce)
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Best Tips for the Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe
- You can sub bacon with chopped sundried tomatoes for a nice flavor.
- Remove chicken thighs from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them close to room temperature.
- Season chicken just before cooking to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out the meat.
- If using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, pound them or slice them horizontally to make the thickness even. The chicken will cook faster this way.
What to serve with the chicken?
This creamy dish calls for a side of mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or even quinoa. If you try to stay low carb, a bowl of these parmesan-roasted Brussels spouts is ideal!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the garlic butter chicken thighs with creamy spinach and bacon: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, and sear in the pan for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in the remaining cooking juices leftover in the pan. Add in the onion and garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Pour in the chicken stock (or white wine, if using), and allow to reduce down slightly. Add the crispy bacon and fry for 1-2 minutes to release the flavors.
3. Reduce heat to low heat, add the half and half (or heavy cream), and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring occasionally. Make sure to lower the heat to avoid the sauce to separate. Add Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
4. Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. For a thicker sauce, add the cornstarch mixture (1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water, see the ingredients list) to the skillet, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.
5. Add the cooked chicken back into the pan; sprinkle with chili pepper flakes (if using), and spoon the sauce over each chicken thigh. Serve the Garlic Butter Chicken with Spinach and Bacon over pasta, rice, or a low-carb favorite like zoodles, cauliflower rice, or steamed veggies. Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
What other readers say about this Garlic Butter Chicken recipe
“This was so amazing! But I cooked the chicken in the bacon grease, onions, and garlic. Then removed all of that and then added new onions and garlic and keep on with the sauce instructions after that. It was sooo good! My boyfriend said it’s one for the books! I would definitely double the sauce recipe though.” – Annika
“Amazing! Even my pickiest eater ate it!” – Tiffani
“Best recipe off Pinterest followed directions turned out perfect!” – Ally
“I have made it twice now. Tonight it will be over rice. I used sun-dried tomatoes this time. Great for a cold night.” – Chelli
“We added heavy cream and bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. AMAZING! Thanks for sharing this chicken recipe…” – Marlene
More chicken recipes
- 20 Easy Chicken Thigh Recipes That Are Quick to Fix
- Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
- CrockPot Tuscan Garlic Chicken With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken
- Garlic Butter Chicken and Potatoes Skillet
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Reviews (59)
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Andrew
2024-09-06 20:20:36
Made this last night and we all loved it, only thing we all agreed about was that with all the sauce that it should be on top of pasta or have a good piece of crust baguette to stop it up with. Definitely one that will end up in my regular monthly rotation.
Stacey
2024-04-17 19:34:29
I made this but instead of chicken I used Shrimp!!! It was absolutely delicious
Judy
2023-12-23 19:25:23
This was excellent. Followed previous reviewer and fried bacon first and then fried chicken in bacon grease. The mix of flavors with bacon, Italian seasoning, onion, garlic,chili peppers and Parmesan cheese made an excellent sauce. Short on cream so used milk for part and it was delicious. A real saver.
Laura
2023-08-12 08:18:23
The recipes you have on your site are great low-carb for diabetics. But trying to find them is so frustrating. There are so many ads that I can't get to the recipe. The skip to recipe and print tabs are all covered up, and copying them is nearly impossible because the window is so covered with ads. This makes me very sad because you have so many incredible recipes.
TC
2023-08-08 22:59:25
Fantastic recipe! Was easy to make and low-carb, a plus. This recipe is definitely a keeper for my family. The only negative was the nutritional information - 914 calories for one serving?
