Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach Penne Pasta

Delicious Chicken pasta in a lighter creamy garlic sauce. Made with penne pasta, tender chicken breast and fresh wilted spinach. A perfect any night of the week meal.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Who doesn't love a creamy chicken dish, especially when it has heaps of flavour and is combined with pasta for a filling comfort meal in a bowl.

One of my favourite easy go to pasta recipes on Slimming Eats is this Creamy Garlic Pasta, so simple but really flavoursome and delicious. We as a family love creamy pasta dishes, but days like today when I need a filling meal, some added protein is a must and thats when dishes like this Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach and Penne Pasta are perfect.

Calories in Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach Penne Pasta

This delicious pasta dish serves four people and has 506 calories per serving (no sides).

If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of 500+ calorie recipes.

If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie intake using a reliable calorie calculator. Please note that the calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary based on specific ingredients and serving sizes. Personalizing your calculations is essential to meet your individual needs. By using a calorie calculator, you can make informed choices and stay on track with your dietary goals.

Can I use Chicken Thighs instead of Chicken Breast?

I used chicken breast as it was what I had on hand and it's also super quick to cook, if you want to use thighs instead then you can definitely make the swap. Just ensure you brown until lovely and golden and make sure it is cooked through before serving, as it will take slightly longer than Chicken Breast.

If you slice up into slightly smaller pieces, it will be much quicker to cook.

Also don't forget chicken thighs will add slightly more calories to the overall recipe too.

Can I use a different type of protein in this recipe?

Sure!! I wouldn't recommend beef as it will be a bit too rich in this sauce, but some great alternatives would be slices of pork or bacon or you could even choose some seafood and add some shrimp (prawns).

If you are vegetarian you could just add some other vegetables of your choice or use a meat replacement like quorn.

Can I use a different type of pasta?

I used penne as it was what I had in but any shape pasta will work, so just go for what you have, no need to go and source out Penne just for this recipe. Most have a bag of penne in the cupboard though. It's probably one of the more popular shapes along with Fusilli.

What Light Cream Cheese do you use?

For the light cream cheese, I use Philadelphia, but store own brands are fine for this two.

Can I use Quark instead of Cream Cheese?

This is a comment I get quite a lot when I use cream cheese and while quark will work okay in some dishes, I do not recommend it for this recipe.

You just won't get the same creaminess, as quark is more sour tasting than cream and quark really needs to be added right at the end otherwise it can have a tendency to split and spoil your sauce.

Substitutes for Parmesan Cheese

Not everyone likes the strong taste of parmesan cheese, but it is not overpowering in this recipe. If you really hate parmesan though a swap for some mature cheddar is a great alternative.

Just ensure when you pick a different cheese you don't use one which you buy already grated. Cheeses which come ready grated are coated to prevent it sticking together and it doesn't melt as well in sauces. You need a block of cheese which you grate yourself.

What stock can I use for this recipe?

I prefer to use fat free chicken stock that comes in a carton when I don't have some homemade on hand, it just tastes so much fresher.

Stock cubes and bouillon are perfectly fine to use too if that's what you have. Just a couple of things to bare in mind. Stock cubes vary by brand in how much stock they make, so you need to check the packaging to ensure you use the correct amount, otherwise your sauce could end up too salt or may not have enough flavour.

For example one Oxo cube generally makes 190ml of stock, some other cubes can make double that, so you can

Sides for Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach and Penne Pasta

Wondering what to serve this with? You can enjoy it just as it is, as it has all that lovely iron rich spinach in the recipe. But if you want a more filling plate of food a simple side salad will pair well with this or some other vegetables of your choosing.

Some suggestions are:

• Green Beans (sauteed or roasted)
• Broccoli (steam or roasted)
• Asparagus (sauteed or baked)
• Cauliflower (steamed or roasted)
• Courgette (Zucchini) (sauteed or grilled)

More Chicken Pasta Recipes

Looking for some other chicken pasta recipes to enjoy? Check out these:

• CREAMY CHICKEN MUSHROOM TOMATO PASTA BAKE
• BAKED FETA PASTA WITH CHICKEN (TIKTOK RECIPE
• SLOW COOKER CHICKEN MEATBALL PASTA BAKE
• CREAMY CAJUN CHICKEN MEATBALL PASTA (GLUTEN FREE AND DAIRY FREE)
• FAJITA CHICKEN PASTA
• CHICKEN BACON AND TOMATO PASTA BAKE
• CREAMY CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PASTA

or if you would like more recipe ideas or sides to make with this recipe - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more.