Hiya! Hope you had a great 4th! If you're like me, despite all the fun, you're a little tired out from all the celebrations (and a certain child's impromptu strawberry picking extravaganza that led to an entire day of baking things strawberry, including a must make strawberry-blueberry crostata that is to DIE for--promise to post soon) and need dinner to be simple tonight and not barbecued because after the holiday weekend, we all need a little break. Enter this One Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms, Spinach and Pasta. It comes together in half an hour, only uses one pan and is totally delicious. What more could you ask for?

I've got a few other one pan/pot/skillet meals here on the blog like this One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Peas and Parmesan, One-Pot Chicken with Leeks, One-Pan Roast Chicken Meal, One-Pan Chicken with Broccolini and Peanut Sauce and this One-Pan Parmesan Roast Chicken with Cauliflower, Onion and Potatoes (note to self: add some easy beef and vegetarian dishes into the mix) and this new addition with all those mushrooms, spinach, chicken and pasta in a creamy sauce definitely does not disappoint. 

Every bite is filled with flavor and texture and utterly comforting. And even though there is pasta and cream sauce at play here, the dish is surprisingly light and a perfect way to cap a warm sunny day!  And the easy cleanup can't be beat either. You might even have time for that after dinner walk!!

One more thing...just want to wish a special person a very happy Barcelona birthday!!! We all hope you're having a great day and can't wait to see you to celebrate!

One Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms, Spinach and Pasta

Makes 4 generous servings (you could definitely stretch this to feed 5 and even 6 with a salad on the side) 

Prep Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless  chicken breasts cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced  
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 32 ounces chicken broth  
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 ounces linguine, spaghetti or any other pasta you like
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

The Recipe

1.  Into a large deep skillet, place the butter and melt over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides. Add the olive oil and cook the garlic for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add in the mushrooms and cook for a minute or two, until tender. Then add in the flour and cook for another minute, stirring so that it coats everything. 

2.  Pour in the broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir well. Add in the pasta and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Cover the pot and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is done. Stir in the spinach until it starts to wilt. Then remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Serve immediately. 

3.  Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated in the microwave or in a small pot over low heat. If it seems dried out, add a bit of chicken broth. 

Enjoy! 

Note:  Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic. I really toyed around a lot with this--cut the sun dried tomatoes, doubled the mushrooms and spinach and increased the broth and Parmesan. Also, used milk and heavy cream instead of half and half. It's a very versatile recipe, feel free to experiment.