Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Dinner (in a Skillet)
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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!
Check out my One Pan Chicken Pizzaiola, and my Skillet Bourbon Chicken too!
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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
Key Recipe Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts 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
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. 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
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Creamy Mediterranean Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast sliced into cutlets
- salt and pepper
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 12 ounces roasted red peppers finely diced
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups freshly cooked pasta
Instructions
Cook the chicken
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
- Season 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook at medium high heat until browned and done. (About 3-4 minutes per side – needs to be 165°F in the middle). Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Make the sauce
- In the same skillet, cook diced 1 onion until softened (I deglaze the pan with a little 1 1/2 cup chicken stock as well), then add 4 garlic cloves and12 ounces roasted red peppers.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2 minutes then add 4 ounces cream cheese and the remaining 1 1/2 cup chicken 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 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves 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 2 cups freshly cooked pasta, add chicken and spoon a good helping of the sauce over the top.
- Devour.
Video
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)
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We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
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.
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About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
This is my favorite meal to cook and share with others. It is so delicious and even better as a leftover. I am always watching my carb so I don’t use the noodles but I use cauliflower rice or just it in a bowl by itself.
This was so delicious!!!!! We served this over long grain rice 🥹🎯
even my 4 children (ages 10-4) devoured it! And they are very picky eaters! This was great, fast and we even had a little bit of leftovers!!!
I added a small hand full of grated mozzarella to the skillet with the spinach and chicken. Otherwise I didn’t change a thing!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I added additional herbs, 1/2 tsp of each cumin, coriander, cardamom. Just amazing!!!
I made this for my family tonight & even my picky four year old loved it! I added mushrooms, but otherwise followed the recipe as-is & will definitely make this again.