Baked Chicken With Spinach

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 04/18/21
Baked chicken with spinach

The Spruce
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
35 Calories
1g Fat
6g Carbs
4g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 35
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 150mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 38mg 190%
Calcium 117mg 9%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 743mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Easy chicken dinners are everyone's dream. There's nothing like putting everything in a pan, placing it in the oven, and coming back to a wonderful and juicy piece of chicken. This recipe requires just 20 minutes of preparation, but the ingredients are easy to find and perhaps you already have them in your fridge. Suitable for low-carb diets, this tasty dish is naturally gluten-free and can be dairy-free if you skip the optional Parmesan cheese. Easy to make, the boneless chicken breasts are baked in a bed of spinach and are generously seasoned with Creole seasoning to add some powerful flavor and spice. Serve with roasted vegetables and potatoes for a complete and wholesome meal, or slice and use the chicken and spinach as the filling of a sandwich or wrap.

These breasts will keep well for three days in the fridge and can be repurposed in salads, or served on top of pasta or rice. As a simple recipe, it can be adapted to your needs and likes. Bake the chicken with other seasonings or vegetables if you'd prefer. Thawed corn, peas, carrots, green beans, and cubed zucchinis are a great additions to the dish.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, halved

  • Creole seasoning to taste

  • Black pepper to taste

  • Kosher salt to taste

  • 12 to 16 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped

  • 1/4 cup chicken broth

  • 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced

  • 4 green onions, sliced with the green intact

  • Grated Parmesan or shredded mozzarella to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for baked chicken with spinach
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  2. Heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease with cooking spray a 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Set aside.

    Lightly grease pan
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  3. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet until all halves are even in thickness.

    Place chicken between wrap
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  4. Sprinkle chicken with creole seasoning and pepper. If the seasoning blend is salt-free, sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt. Set aside.

    Sprinkle with seasoning
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  5. Put the fresh spinach in the prepared baking dish and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

    Put spinach in pan
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  6. Add the chicken broth.

    Add chicken broth
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  7. Arrange the chicken over the spinach and then sprinkle with the diced tomato and green onions.

    Arrange vegetables over chicken
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  8. Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake the chicken and spinach for 20 minutes.

    Cover with foil
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  9. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 F when checked with an instant-read thermometer.

    Uncover and bake
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  10. If using, top the chicken and tomato mixture with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella about 5 minutes before the cooking time is done. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

    Scoop out baked chicken
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  11. Enjoy!

Which Chicken Breasts Should I Buy?

When selecting chicken breasts, there are a variety of options depending on the feed the animals had, the environment they were raised in, whether they were enclosed or free-range, and the number of additives and antibiotics the meat might have. As a general rule, free-range and without hormones and antibiotics is the best and safest choice, but it all comes down to what's available at your store and your budget. Whichever chicken you decide to buy, look for pieces that look pink, plump, and with the furthest out sell-by date. When selecting your chicken breasts, be mindful that corn-fed animals will yield meat that may look a bit more yellow due to the fed.

Bone-In Chicken Bake

Make the dish with bone-in chicken pieces with skin:

  • Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil, skin-side down. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the skin has browned.
  • Turn and fry for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Arrange the chicken pieces on the spinach bed, skin-side up.
  • Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 minutes, covered, and then for 30 minutes after the foil is removed or until the chicken reaches 165 F inside.

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