How should I store and reheat leftover Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta?

If you have leftovers, store them in one airtight container or divide them up if you want to take some to work the next day. They'll be good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, use a skillet or microwave. If the sauce is too thick, try adding a tablespoon of water.

Can I use a different shape pasta?

Absolutely! If you want to substitute penne for another shape, go with a short-shaped pasta such as shells, bow ties or fusilli. For the best al dente results, be sure to follow the cooking instructions on the box, as different pasta shapes and brands may require different cooking times.

Can I add more vegetables?

Of course, we encourage you to have some fun with this recipe. In addition to the spinach, a few suggestions include adding sliced bell peppers in various colors, Broccolini or your favorite mushrooms. Naturally, this will add to the prep and cooking time.

What should I serve with Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta?

We would add a salad like our Butter Lettuce Salad , Chopped Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Lemon or a Greek-inspired salad with edamame . Plus, some good bread or rolls.

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Name: Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces gluten-free penne pasta or whole-wheat penne pasta; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, trimmed, if necessary, and cut into bite-size pieces; 0.5 teaspoon salt; 0.25 teaspoon ground pepper; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 0.5 cup dry white wine; 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice; 1 tablespoon of lemon zest; 10 cups chopped fresh spinach; 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

25 mins

Servings:

4

Yield:

4 servings

Nutrition Profile:

Anti-Inflammatory Mediterranean Diet Nut-Free Soy-Free High-Protein

Jump to Nutrition Facts

The Simple One-Skillet Dinner Winner That My Mom Taught Me and I Can't Live Without

I grew up with the good fortune of having an amazing cook for a mom. She was entirely self-taught and—while everyone who ate at our house raved about her delicious meals—her endgame wasn't about being an amazing cook. It was about making a dinner that tasted good, didn't take too long and was achievable for anyone! Basically, she was just a normal working mom who wanted to feed her family healthy meals, and she just happened to be really, really good at it.

I learned so much from hanging in the kitchen with my mom. But the lessons that stuck with me were all about timing, shortcuts and producing as few dishes to clean up as possible. She was a master of throwing an easy weeknight dinner together that tasted good enough to be a weekend dinner-party meal. One such example was a simple garlicky pasta dish that was an all-in-one meal. It had protein from chicken (or shrimp if we were feeling fancy!), whole grains from the pasta and a serving of veggies from lots of wilty spinach—all topped with Parmesan cheese for good measure. The night we first made it, it became an instant favorite. My mom wrote it down on a recipe card with the title "Devon's Favorite Pasta" to add to a recipe book she was making for me to take to college. It remains in my regular dinner rotation to this day. Here are the best tips this recipe taught me that are the keys to making a delicious and easy weeknight dinner.

1. Contain the cooking to as few pans as possible

When my dad wasn't traveling for work, he was in charge of doing the dishes (another lesson from my mom I continue to use in my life—if I cook, you clean) so this rule doesn't necessarily apply if you aren't the one doing the dishes. But when you are, this rule is key. Don't use any more dishes than you have to. In this recipe, that means you cook the protein, veggies and sauce all in one skillet. Then, just add the cooked pasta to the same skillet, toss it all together and dinner is ready.

2. Use quick-cooking ingredients

You can't make dinner fast if your ingredients don't cook fast. So choose things that are quick-cooking or take shortcuts to make them quick-cooking. In this recipe that includes:

Chicken breasts: We make them cook fast by cutting them into bite-size pieces first. Or try shrimp for another fast-cooking protein that's delicious in this recipe.
Spinach: When adding vegetables, choose naturally tender vegetables, which take less time to cook than stalky hearty vegetables. In this recipe, the residual heat from cooking the chicken and pasta is enough to wilt down the spinach—no true cooking required. Other leafy greens, like kale, would work too.
Pasta: Using whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta is one of the quickest ways to get your whole grains in. Plus, you can easily have your pasta cooking while you make the rest of the meal so everything is ready to go at the same time.

3. Choose just a few flavor-packed ingredients

Cooking with fewer ingredients not only simplifies the actual cooking process, it also means you probably already have all the ingredients on hand (one less stop at the store!), and it's quicker to put everything away at the end. To keep the ingredients list small, make every ingredient count by choosing ones that pack in lots of flavor. In this recipe that includes:

Garlic: Alliums like garlic, shallot and onion are key to flavoring savory dishes.
White wine: A little bit of wine goes a long way when making pasta sauce. Other flavorful liquids, like broth, work too.
Lemon: Adding an acidic ingredient like citrus or vinegar helps brighten the flavors of a dish and make it pop!
Parmesan cheese: It may seem like just a garnish, but that sharp, salty flavor goes a long way. A fresh herb garnish is just as good, especially if you are watching your sodium intake.

Nutrition Notes

Both chicken breast and chicken thighs fit into a healthy diet and are delicious in this dish. If you want to reduce the amount of fat, using chicken breast will do the trick. If you prefer the thigh, remove the skin and trim the fat to lower the fat content. Both the breast and thigh provide protein, B vitamins and choline—all necessary for a healthy nervous system.
Because whole-wheat pasta is made with whole grain, it offers more nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants than pasta made with refined white flour. While the difference in taste between whole-wheat pasta and regular pasta made with white flour is subtle, you can help ease the transition to whole-wheat pasta by making half the pasta in this dish whole-wheat and half regular pasta. And if you just prefer regular pasta, that's okay! You'll still get the same nutrients as whole-wheat pasta, just in smaller quantities for many of them.
Besides adding gorgeous color to this dish, spinach also brings with it some fiber and vitamins A and K. Vitamin A supports healthy vision and immunity, and vitamin K is necessary for strong bones and healthy blood clotting. The antioxidants in spinach also contribute to reduced inflammation and disease risk.

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Ingredients

8 ounces gluten-free penne pasta or whole-wheat penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, trimmed, if necessary, and cut into bite-size pieces
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
10 cups chopped fresh spinach
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, lemon juice and zest; bring to a simmer.

Remove from heat. Stir in spinach and the cooked pasta. Cover and let stand until the spinach is just wilted. Divide among 4 plates and top each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan.

Photographer: Jen Causey

Equipment

Large high-sided skillet
Frequently Asked Questions
- How should I store and reheat leftover Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta?
  
  If you have leftovers, store them in one airtight container or divide them up if you want to take some to work the next day. They'll be good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, use a skillet or microwave. If the sauce is too thick, try adding a tablespoon of water.
- Can I use a different shape pasta?
  
  Absolutely! If you want to substitute penne for another shape, go with a short-shaped pasta such as shells, bow ties or fusilli. For the best al dente results, be sure to follow the cooking instructions on the box, as different pasta shapes and brands may require different cooking times.
- Can I add more vegetables?
  
  Of course, we encourage you to have some fun with this recipe. In addition to the spinach, a few suggestions include adding sliced bell peppers in various colors, Broccolini or your favorite mushrooms. Naturally, this will add to the prep and cooking time.
- What should I serve with Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta?
  
  We would add a salad like our Butter Lettuce Salad, Chopped Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Lemon or a Greek-inspired salad with edamame. Plus, some good bread or rolls.

EatingWell.com, October 2018

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

335	Calories
12g	Fat
25g	Carbs
29g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Serving Size scant 2 cups
Calories 335
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate 25g	9%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 29g	57%
Total Fat 12g	16%
Saturated Fat 3g	14%
Cholesterol 67mg	22%
Vitamin A 7100IU	142%
Vitamin C 31mg	34%
Folate 155mcg	39%
Sodium 499mg	22%
Calcium 144mg	11%
Iron 3mg	18%
Magnesium 108mg	26%
Potassium 685mg	15%

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Additional reporting by

Hilary Meyer,