This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Our Spinach Artichoke Chicken is everything you love about the classic dip—turned into a comforting one-pan dinner. Juicy chicken thighs are simmered in a luscious, garlicky cream sauce with spinach, artichokes, and plenty of parmesan cheese. It’s an easy spinach artichoke chicken recipe that’s rich, satisfying, and naturally low carb.
Made with bone-in chicken thighs, this chicken thighs and spinach recipe delivers golden, crispy skin and tender, juicy meat in every bite. If you love creamy chicken dinners, this one’s bound to be a weeknight favorite—just like our Creamy Champagne Chicken or Creamy French Mustard Chicken.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
This Spinach Artichoke Chicken takes everything you adore about creamy comfort food and makes it lighter, fresher, and totally satisfying. The sauce is rich without feeling heavy, filled with tender spinach, briny artichokes, and a hint of garlic that brings everything together. It’s proof that a cozy, restaurant-worthy meal can still be an easy spinach artichoke chicken dinner made right at home.
What really sets it apart is the chicken. Using bone-in thighs means each piece stays incredibly juicy while soaking up all that flavorful sauce. Whether you’re trying to keep things low carb or just love a good chicken thighs and spinach recipe, this dish is the kind you’ll want to make again and again.
What Goes Into Spinach Artichoke Chicken
You’ll only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken. Each one plays its part in creating that rich, garlicky flavor that makes this dish so comforting.
- Chicken Thighs: Juicy and full of flavor, chicken thighs stay tender and moist while soaking up the creamy sauce. You can use bone-in, boneless, or even breast fillets if you prefer.
- Cream Cheese: The secret to that thick, velvety sauce. It melts beautifully into the broth and gives every bite a luscious texture.
- Artichoke Hearts: Their slightly tangy flavor balances out the richness of the cream and cheese, giving this dish its signature spinach artichoke taste.
- Fresh Spinach: Adds color, freshness, and a boost of nutrients to every forkful while blending seamlessly into the creamy sauce.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Spinach Artichoke Chicken
Use this section for process shots, alternating between the step and image showing the step. Users don’t like seeing process shots cluttering up the recipe card, so include your process shots here.
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 400°F (200°C) so it’s ready to finish cooking the chicken later.
- Season the Chicken: Pat your chicken dry, then sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Sear Until Golden: Heat oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 3–4 minutes per side until crisp and golden, locking in all those juices.
- Drain and Keep the Flavor: Remove most of the excess fat from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon behind—it adds a delicious base for the sauce.
- Sauté the Garlic: Add garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- Melt the Cream Cheese: Stir in the cream cheese, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it melts into a smooth, creamy base.
- Create the Sauce: Pour in the chicken broth, bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Combine and Bake: Stir in artichokes, spinach, and parmesan until spinach begins to wilt. Transfer to oven and bake until the chicken is fully cooked through.
To make your Spinach Artichoke Chicken shine, pair it with sides that balance its rich, creamy sauce. Try it with One Pot Orzo Primavera for a light, buttery pasta that soaks up all that garlicky goodness. If you’d rather keep things veggie-forward, Simple Lemon Garlic Asparagus adds a bright, zesty contrast that cuts through the creaminess beautifully.
For something heartier, Browned Butter Parmesan Roasted Potatoes are a perfect match—the crispy edges and nutty flavor make every bite of creamy chicken even more irresistible. Whether you go light, fresh, or indulgent, these sides turn your dinner into a complete comfort meal.
Tips For Making Spinach Artichoke Chicken
- Use room temperature cream cheese so it melts smoothly into the sauce without clumping.
- Sear the chicken well before baking — those golden bits at the bottom of the pan add incredible flavor to the cream sauce.
- Don’t overcook the spinach. Add it just before baking so it stays bright and tender, not soggy.
- Artichokes can be a little tangy, so adjust the salt and parmesan to get the perfect balance of creamy and savory.
- Serve straight from the skillet. It keeps the sauce hot and makes for a beautiful, rustic presentation at the table.
Recipe FAQ’s
Canned or jarred artichoke hearts in brine work best. Avoid marinated ones, as their extra seasoning can overpower the sauce.
Substitute the cream cheese with a dairy-free alternative and use coconut milk or cashew cream in place of the broth-cream mix.
Definitely. Mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers all add extra flavor and color to the creamy sauce.
Spinach Artichoke Chicken On Video
You might also like
Get a free eBook!
Subscribe to Cafe Delites FOR FREE and receive recipes straight into your inbox!
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 skinless chicken thighs bone-in/boneless, or breast fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, 4 cloves
- 8 ounces cream cheese full fat or reduced fat
- 1 cup chicken stock broth
- 14 oz artichoke hearts in brine, drained and roughly chopped
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves washed
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 3-4 minutes each side until crisp and golden. Drain most of the excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon for flavour.
- Sauté garlic until fragrant (30 seconds), then add cream cheese. Occasionally stir while breaking it up with the end of your wooden spoon until it begins to melt and become thinner in consistency.
- Pour in the chicken broth; bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in artichokes and spinach. Simmer until the spinach has just started to wilt and add the parmesan cheese. Taste test and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Place skillet into preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until completely cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Are there good dairy-free ingredients that you could recommend to substitute for the Cream Cheese and Parmesan Cheese? I just recently discovered that hemp milk made a wonderful replacement for Half & Half in a coffee creamer mixture I make, and am hoping to find other surprisingly delicious dairy alternatives for mouthwatering recipes, such as this one. Thanks in advance!
Hi Debbie. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with any substitutes. Hopefully a reader with the same requirements can weigh in?
Cooked this yesterday outside over coals. It was super easy and so delicious! I will admit that I did not follow the recipe exactly, I mean, I did but I didn’t. The bones was exactly as yours but I used boneless skinless thighs, I added mushrooms, a chopped onion, and sun dried tomatoes. I loved it, my wife, loved it, and dinner guest did as well.
Just found you on pinterest, can’t wait to see what else you have here!
My mom made this for our family and it was delicious!
hi there you you think this would turn out ok in a slow cooker? Thanks
Hi James. I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker so I really can’t say! Sorry!
This was excellent. I made it today with linguine during snowstorm Stella and it was delicious and decadent. Thanks.
I made this tonight and added a finely diced yellow onion (sautéed with the garlic) and used plain Greek Yogurt instead of cream cheese. It….was….SO….GOOD! Going into the regular rotation for sure.
Thanks for the greek yogurt idea! The cream cheese was the one ingredient I was hesitant to use because I want to make a healthy dish. I will be trying this this week!
How much greek yogurt do you use?
Will it be too dry if I use chicken breast?
So good! I used already cooked chicken I had left over from a whole bird I had cooked. Just mixed it in the sauce with the artichokes and I used kale as I was out of spinach. Served it all over spaghetti squash. Enjoyed by all. Thank you for a great dish!
I’m confused… do you remove the chicken thighs after they’ve browned and before adding the other ingredients? Or do you leave them in the pan while you’re stirring and cooking the sauce? Looks delish!
Hi Hawley. You can do either. I leave them in for less clean up.
Thanks for this delicious recipe! ??