Martha Stewart Creamy Lemon Chicken Spinach And Artichokes Recipe

If you told me spinach artichoke dip could become a weeknight dinner, I would not have believed you until I made this. Martha Stewart’s Creamy Lemon Chicken with Spinach and Artichokes sears flour-dredged chicken cutlets in a cast-iron skillet, builds a cream cheese sauce with garlic, thyme, and chicken broth, wilts baby spinach and artichoke hearts into it, then finishes everything with fresh lemon juice and grated Parmesan. Twenty-five minutes, one skillet.

This Martha Stewart chicken breast recipe is the one I make more than any other on a weeknight. It is one of Martha Stewart’s best chicken recipes because the cream cheese does the work of a cream sauce without any measuring or reducing. Every bite tastes like spinach artichoke dip on top of a crispy chicken cutlet, and I mean that as the highest compliment. One of those Martha Stewart chicken dishes that gets a perfect rating for a reason.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• One-Pan Pasta
• Spinach Quiche

Why You Will Love This Creamy Lemon Chicken:

• It tastes like spinach artichoke dip on chicken: That is literally what this is. Cream cheese, spinach, artichokes, Parmesan, garlic. All the flavors you love from the dip, except now they are a sauce over crispy chicken cutlets. I had someone at my table say “this tastes like the dip” and I took it as the ultimate win.
• 25 minutes, one skillet: You sear the cutlets, build the sauce in the same pan, wilt the spinach, add the artichokes, put the chicken back in, and you are done. I wash one skillet and one cutting board. That is it.
• Cream cheese instead of heavy cream: No measuring 3/4 cup of cream, no worrying about it breaking. You stir 4 ounces of softened cream cheese into the broth and it melts into a silky sauce on its own. I keep cream cheese in my fridge specifically for this recipe.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Spinach And Artichokes Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken cutlets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 10 ounces baby spinach (7 cups)
• 1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, quartered if whole
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (1/2 cup packed)
• Steamed rice, for serving (optional)

How To Make Martha Stewart Creamy Lemon Chicken Spinach And Artichokes

1. Sear the chicken: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. Add the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. When the butter melts, add the chicken in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown in places but not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Build the sauce: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the garlic, and the thyme to the skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth and cream cheese. Cook until the mixture boils and the cheese melts.
3. Add the vegetables: Add the baby spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the artichoke hearts and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Finish the chicken: Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and thickened slightly and the chicken is just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
5. Add lemon and cheese: Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve over steamed rice if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Soften the cream cheese first: Pull it out of the fridge 15 to 20 minutes before you start cooking. Cold cream cheese clumps in the sauce instead of melting smoothly. I forgot to do this once and spent two minutes trying to break up lumps with a whisk.
• Do not cook the chicken all the way through on the first sear: The cutlets go back into the sauce to finish cooking for another 3 minutes. If they are fully done during the sear, they will be dry and tough by the time the dish is ready. I pull them when they are golden on the outside but still a little pink inside.
• Thaw the artichokes under cold water: Run the frozen artichoke hearts under cold water in a colander to thaw them quickly. If you cannot find frozen, a drained 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts works too. I have used both and the flavor is almost identical.
• Add the lemon off heat: The recipe says to remove from heat before stirring in the lemon juice and Parmesan. I follow this exactly because lemon juice added to a boiling sauce can taste bitter and the Parmesan can clump. Off heat, everything stirs in clean.

What Goes Well With This Creamy Lemon Chicken

The recipe suggests rice to soak up the sauce and that is what I usually do. A pot of white rice takes about as long as the chicken so both finish at the same time. A loaf of sourdough bread torn into chunks works too if you want to skip the rice.

The dish already has spinach and artichokes built in so I do not add another vegetable. The sauce, the greens, the chicken, and the rice make a full plate.

How To Store Leftovers

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The cream cheese sauce thickens a lot in the fridge but loosens back up when reheated. Slice the chicken into strips before storing so it reheats faster without drying out.

I reheat in a skillet with a lid over medium heat. The covered pan traps steam and warms the chicken through without overcooking it. I have also reheated this in a 350-degree oven in a covered dish and that works fine too. I would not freeze it because the spinach gets watery after thawing.

FAQs

• Can I use chicken breasts or thighs instead of cutlets? You can use boneless, skinless breasts or thighs but they are thicker so they take a few extra minutes to cook. I butterfly and pound regular breasts to 1/4 inch if I cannot find cutlets at the store. It takes 30 seconds with a meat mallet.
• Can I use dried thyme instead of fresh? Yes. Use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead of 1 tablespoon of fresh. Dried thyme is stronger so you need less. I prefer fresh when I have it because the flavor is brighter, but dried works in a pinch.
• Can I use frozen spinach? You can substitute a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach, but thaw it completely and squeeze out as much water as possible first. If you skip that step, the sauce gets thin and runny. I prefer baby spinach because it wilts in 2 minutes and I do not have to deal with squeezing.
• Why does this recipe have a perfect rating? I think it is because everything about it works. The cream cheese sauce is foolproof, the cutlets cook fast, and the spinach artichoke flavor combination is something most people already love from the dip. People who made this recipe say their families asked for it again the same week, and I can believe it.

More Dinner Recipes:

• Chicken Piccata
• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Creamed Spinach

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 480
• Total Fat: 28g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Cholesterol: 120mg
• Sodium: 680mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 16g
• Protein: 38g