This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Full Disclosure Policy.
This Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Dinner made in a skillet is so delicious, you won’t believe how easy and fast it is to cook. Perfect for weeknights, with flavors everyone will enjoy – you’ll be fighting over the leftover sauce!
Make this EASY chicken recipe in 30 minutes. Check out my video below for all the steps!
We all know I’m a huge fan of one-skillet meals, and even more so – a skillet meal that doesn’t take forever.
Do you ever stand in front of your fridge/pantry and try to figure out what to make with what you’ve got? I do it all the time, with awesome, family loved results.
Letting ingredients talk to you (okay, so I didn’t add gummy bears or leftover spaghetti), I regularly create new dishes just using what I find in the fridge that day.
I call it the home version of “Chopped”! Basically, it’s several ingredients that I found in the fridge and created what I feel like is a masterpiece.
We literally grab spoons and scrape the skillet to get the very last of this delicious and creamy sauce into our bellies. It may even be worth doubling the sauce just for this reason!
We always have pasta, it’s a good bet that we have spinach, cream cheese, and jarred roasted red peppers. Add a few more simple ingredients that I usually have around anyway (butter, onion, garlic and chicken stock)… and dinner is done!
Because this is so good, I make sure I have all the ingredients on hand, just in case we need a yummy dinner in a hurry. This is a good one for those nights when we have kid activities and don’t get home until well after 6 pm and we all have to eat!
I have included step by step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Mediterranean Chicken Video
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken. Slice these into cutlets, or just buy them already cut from the grocery store!
- Butter. I use salted butter, but you can sub in olive oil or unsalted butter. Be sure to taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- Onion. Dice it up finely, we want small, even pieces of onion
- Garlic. Mince it up! Feel free to double the quantity. Garlic is delicious
- Roasted red peppers. You can roast these yourself or buy a jar of them. I like the ones packed in water vs the ones packed in olive oil.
- Chicken stock. Make your own chicken stock, or grab it at the store.
- Cream cheese. Flavored ones are great in this, a garlic herb, or a sun dried tomato one works well. Plain is fine, too!
- Spinach. This is baby spinach leaves.
- Pasta. Any kind you like! Short pasta shapes like penne, rotini, ziti, farfalle etc are all great choices. Rice or quinoa can also be used.
How to make this recipe
Scroll for Recipe
The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Cook the chicken
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Any skillet will do, a non-stick or a cast-iron skillet will work.
Season the chicken breasts and cook at medium-high heat until browned and done. (About 3-4 minutes per side – needs to be 165F in the middle). Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Make the sauce
In the same skillet, cook the onions until softened (I deglaze the pan with a little stock as well), then add the garlic and roasted red peppers.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 2 minutes then add the cream cheese and the remaining stock.
Whisk the sauce until blended, then simmer for around 7 minutes – allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken up.
Add the spinach, and the cooked chicken back in
Add the spinach and toss into the sauce until wilted.
Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan and allow to warm through.
Serve
Plate the pasta, add chicken, and spoon a good helping of the sauce over the top.
Devour.
Kylee’s Notes
What to do with leftovers
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat until it is piping hot!
Substitutions/Additions
Skip a step and buy chicken already sliced into cutlets.
If you want to change the flavor profile you can mix it up and use different flavored cream cheese, or just go for plain if you want a simpler flavor.
Use sundried tomatoes instead of roasted red peppers.
Use rice, quinoa or mashed potatoes instead of pasta.
Cook the pasta ahead and assemble all your ingredients the night before, and really streamline the process. You could have this on the table REALLY quick if you do this!
Add some white beans to bulk up the protein content.
Always use more garlic (because #delicious)
Need more Chicken Recipes?
- This Italian Style Mozzarella Skillet is the stuff of DREAMS. Try it!
- Chicken Piccata Recipe. An old time classic, that is quick and easy to make and full of flavor. Butter, lemon juice and capers make the delicious sauce!
- Chicken with Romesco Sauce. Grilled Chicken paired with an amazingly full flavored Romesco Sauce brings YOUR dinner to new levels. Smoky and robust, you’ll find yourself looking for new things to eat it with!
- Pesto Stuffed Chicken (with Cream Cheese). Super easy to make, finishes in the oven for some hands-off cooking! Creamy and delicious, everyone will love this dinner!
- Balsamic Glazed Chicken. A simple homemade sauce is used to baste the chicken as it cooks. The result is tender chicken with a slightly sweet, and tangy taste.
- Chicken Florentine. A great way to make a weeknight dinner a bit more special.
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken. Chicken stuffed with a delicious jalapeno cream cheese mixture and coated with breadcrumbs. Baked to perfection, and absolutely delicious!
- Chicken Divan. A classic casserole with broccoli, chicken, cheese and a crunchy topping. You will make this family favorite over and over!
- Lemon Butter Chicken. A quick & easy dinner, packed full of flavor. Great for a weeknight meal when you are staring at the fridge and pantry “what to make?
- ALL CHICKEN RECIPES
- ALL WEEKNIGHT RECIPES
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
Find me on Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Skillet
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (sliced into cutlets)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 onion (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 12 oz roasted red peppers (finely diced)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (divided)
- 4 oz cream cheese ( )
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups freshly cooked pasta
Instructions
Cook the chicken
- In a large skillet, melt the butter.
- Season the chicken and cook at medium high heat until browned and done. (About 3-4 minutes per side – needs to be 165F in the middle). Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Make the sauce
- In the same skillet, cook the onions until softened (I deglaze the pan with a little stock as well), then add the garlic and roasted red peppers.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2 minutes then add the cream cheese and the remaining stock.
- Whisk the sauce until blended, then simmer for around 7 minutes – allowing the sauce to reduce.
Add the spinach, and the cooked chicken back in
- Add the spinach and toss into the sauce until wilted.
- Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan and allow to warm through.
Serve
- Plate the pasta, add chicken and spoon a good helping of the sauce over the top.
- Devour.
Notes
- Skip a step and buy chicken already sliced into cutlets.
- If you want to change the flavor profile you can mix it up and use different flavored cream cheese, or just go for plain if you want a simpler flavor.
- Add some white beans to bulk up the protein content.
- Always use more garlic (because #delicious)
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Jenn says
This was good. I added sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms and then once plated I topped it with bacon pieces and parm cheese. My kiddos loved this too.
Leah says
Absolutely delicious!
Jill says
This will be my new “go-to” for when we have guests over. My family absolutely loved it!
Joanna says
I’ve made your exact recipe like three times, I doubled the sauce because it is so good. This by far my favorite pasta dish. My family loves it. I added cherry tomatoes as well. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Brigid D Xenakis says
OMG! Tried this on a whim after looking for something new for this weeks menu. I didn’t know it would be added into the rotation! I used a thing of Borsin cheese instead of cream cheese and sprinkled with feta cheese. So flipping amazing!
Kristine H says
Amazingly delicious. My kids won’t eat anything if they see a bean in it but I try to sneak in extra protein. I pureed 1/2 can of white beans and used that to thicken the sauce. Win win, delicious win!
Luann Kaismir says
Wow, this was delicous! My guys are VERY picky eaters, and they ate evertying including the spinach, and even no complaints about the roasted red peppers. This is highly unusual! The sauce is just fantastic, and I believe they would eat almost anything with that wonderful sauce on top!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try more!
Gabriela perez says
Wow, this recipe was amazing! I’m usually a little afraid to try online recipes, but this was absolutely delicious!!! Loved it!
Sara says
This was a HUGE hit! So very pleased with this recipe and it’s one I’ll keep making forever! I added a little corn starch just to thicken up sauce a tad, but thoroughly followed instructions other than that. My mouth is watering while writing this and thinking about it. Definitely a comfort food!!!
Leilani says
Absolutely delicious! Only thing is the sauce was a little thin.. maybe I’ll try adding a little more cream cheese next time but the flavors were amazing.
Cindy says
Loved this! My husband said, “WOW”!
Substituted Salmon for the chicken, 1 pkg Boursin Fine Herb and Garlic cheese for the cream cheese, and added a little more spinach, since I can’t get enough! Highly recommend everyone give this a try!
Lauren says
I’ve never had something as flavorful as this in my entire life. I took a bite and was like holy **** this is SO good! Thank you!
Stacey Millard says
I made this with left over grilled chicken from a birthday party we had. I used BBQ , teriyaki and garlic/salt/pepper. This was a nice flavor change. You would get different flavors with each bite. I also didn’t have peppers so I used tomatoes. Thank you for this fast easy and most importantly delicious meal. Highly recommended!!! Glad I could use up my leftovers which I hate!!