One-Pan Greek Chicken And Spinach Recipe

One-pan meals are always so convenient, but the ones we like best offer up a wide variety of tastes and textures in that single pan. This Greek chicken and spinach recipe definitely fits into that category. As developer Catherine Brookes tells us, "The combination of chicken, spinach, and feta works so well together with this zingy, herby sauce."

Brookes likes to make this dish with chicken thighs, explaining "I find they are the most tender cut of meat." If you don't care for dark meat, though, she does say that breasts or even wings can work. She also uses cherry tomatoes, saying "They add a sweetness to the dish as well as nice pops of bright red color," but you may feel free to use grape tomatoes, as well. Straight out of the pan, this chicken and vegetable dish makes a great low-carb meal, perhaps accompanied by a side salad. If you want some starch, though, it would go nicely with a side of rice pilaf.

Gather the ingredients for the one-pan Greek chicken and spinach

This dish, as we mentioned, starts with chicken thighs. You're going to need a few lemons (juice and zest) and some oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic for the marinade. You're also going to want an onion, some cherry tomatoes, and spinach, as well as some chicken broth, half and half, and cornstarch. To finish off the dish, you'll need some feta crumbles, as well.

Marinate the chicken

Mix the juice from 1 lemon with the lemon zest, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the oregano plus the parsley, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 4 cloves of garlic. Soak the chicken in this marinade, turning it to make sure each piece is coated. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 12 hours.

Brown the chicken

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over a medium-high burner. When it's hot, take the chicken out of the marinade and put it in the pan. Fry the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until the thighs are brown all over. Take the meat out of the pan and set it aside.

Saute the tomatoes and aromatics

Pour the remaining oil into the same pan you just cooked the chicken in, then add the onion and fry it for about 5 minutes until it's soft but not brown. Stir it as it cooks, being sure to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the rest of the garlic and a teaspoon of oregano. Cook everything for 2 minutes, continuing to stir.

Simmer the spinach in the broth

Pour the broth into the pan, then bring it to a boil. At this point, drop in the spinach and cover the pan. (No lid? Foil will work in a pinch.) Simmer the broth for 3 to 4 minutes to wilt the spinach. Add the rest of the lemon juice to the pan along with the half and half, then make a slurry by stirring the cornstarch together with 2 tablespoons of water. Add this mixture to the pan, then season the broth with any salt and pepper you feel that it needs. Keep cooking and stirring the broth until it has thickened up a bit.

Return the chicken to the pan

Put the chicken back into the pan and cook it, together with the broth and vegetables, for 5 to 8 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be cooked all the way through, with no pink inside. When the chicken's done, turn off the heat and finish off this one-pot meal with a sprinkling of crumbled feta.

One caveat about this dish, if you're dining solo: You'll need to finish off the leftovers in a fairly short amount of time. Brookes says they can be refrigerated for 2 days max and cautions "I wouldn't recommend freezing as you may find that the sauce separates."

One-Pan Greek Chicken And Spinach Recipe
5 from 26 ratings
Learn how to make this convenient one-pan Greek chicken and spinach recipe. it has a decadently creamy texture and is topped with feta cheese crumbles.
Prep Time
40
minutes
Cook Time
25
minutes
Servings
3
Servings
chicken and spinach in pan
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ lemon (juice only), divided
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon oregano, divided
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 7 cloves crushed garlic, divided
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 15 cherry tomatoes
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • 9 ounces spinach
  • ½ cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
  1. Combine the juice from 1 lemon with the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon oregano, dried parsley, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 4 cloves of garlic.
  2. Coat the chicken thighs with the lemon mixture.
  3. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
  5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add it to the pan, cooking it for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until it's brown all over.
  6. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the remaining oil to the pan along with the onion.
  7. Turn the heat down to medium and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until it has softened, stirring and scraping up any burnt bits from the bottom of the pan.
  8. Add the cherry tomatoes and remaining garlic to the pan along with 1 teaspoon oregano and cook the vegetables for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  9. Pour the chicken broth into the pan and bring it to a boil.
  10. Add the spinach to the pan, then cover it and let the broth simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the leaves have wilted.
  11. Stir in the remaining lemon juice along with the half and half.
  12. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir this mixture into the broth.
  13. Season the broth with salt and pepper to taste and stir it until it thickens.
  14. Return the chicken to the broth, then cover the pan and let everything simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the meat is completely cooked.
  15. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the dish with crumbled feta.
Nutrition
Calories per Serving 829
Total Fat 43.5 g
Saturated Fat 12.4 g
Trans Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 394.4 mg
Total Carbohydrates 23.4 g
Dietary Fiber 5.4 g
Total Sugars 8.4 g
Sodium 1,086.4 mg
Protein 85.5 g
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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