This dish is one out of the four polls that have won for my 25 follower celebration. It’s a big milestone for me, so I decided to have my community on Instagram and my followers on my blog vote for a dish they would want to see me make, and possibly take a recipe home! Don’t worry, the other choices are not being ignored! I will make them in due time. This recipe was essentially a take #2 of the first one I made. I made this for mother’s day, and it came out good on the first try, however, it still needed a reboot. I’m currently back home in Long Island with my parents, so I decided to make this winning pasta dish for them!
This creamy yet flavorful sauce coats the pasta like a blanket. Wrapped in the sauce to create beautiful layers that are married together. Paired with juicy grilled chicken to pick up the rest of the lingering sauce. Just like your favorite spinach-artichoke dip, this pasta dish will have you coming back for more. It doesn’t matter how full you are, or if you’re trying to lose weight. It lures you back in for more with its comforting texture and flavorful temptations. A quick tip: Chop up the artichokes so you don’t have big pieces in the sauce. I made that mistake when I originally made this for mother’s day. The artichokes I used were made by Cento. The marinade oil gave the sauce a bit more flavor.
What can I pair with this creamy pasta?
You can pair this with a salad with goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette like I had done for mother’s day, as shown below.
You don’t even have to add the grilled chicken! You can switch it with grilled or baked salmon, sautéed or grilled shrimp, or just omit the meat entirely. You can add toasted breadcrumbs to the top as well. Just mix together breadcrumbs and butter and toast in a sauté pan. Just keep an eye on it! Roast some extra veggies such as grape tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash, sliced onions, and bell peppers, and mix them in! Turn this into a spinach-artichoke primavera. Make an Italian wedding soup and serve before this dish. Make some simple garlic bread with tomato and onion focaccia to mop up the extra sauce. You can even choose to bake this pasta dish. Just set the oven to 350F, toss the pasta in the sauce, place it into a casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes. Add some mozzarella cheese on top!
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Sauce 
Grilled Chicken 
Plated Altogether!
If we’re talking about wine pairings, any white wine works! As long as it’s dry. You can pair a Pinot Grigio from Italy, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, or a Sancerre from France, which is made with the Semillon grape.
**Common misconception with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon: Sauvignon Blanc is definitely flashier in fruits than Sémillon. It has more intense fruit flavors, more vivid acidity, and a lighter body. Sémillon is heavier, with lower acidity and an appealing, almost oily or waxy quality to it.
I paired this Reef Ridge (Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand) with it when I made it originally for mother’s day. The wine was a bit acidic, but it paired beautifully. Flavors of grapefruit, passionfruit, and nectarine with citrus. Available at any Total Wine and More near you! If you don’t like white wine, you can pair this with a nice merlot.
Recipe FAQs
- Can I substitute the spinach for frozen? What about the cream? I used fresh spinach, but you can use frozen if you wish, just be sure to thaw it and squeeze out the excess moisture with your hands. Or, wrap it in a towel and squeeze the excess moisture out. You may use reduced fat cream cheese or low fat sour cream in place of the milk, but be aware that it will change the flavor of the sauce. It will make it a bit tangy. You can even skip the blanching of the spinach and just throw it straight into the sauce when you add the milk. I blanched the spinach so it would keep its color and so the stems would not be as rigid.
- Is this expensive to make? Since you pretty much have most of the ingredients at home, such as the milk, butter and flour, it will only cost about $20 to make a meal for 6 people! We were only 3 people when I made this, but there’s enough leftovers now. Servings, of course, depend on how much people eat. All you need to buy, in reality, is the chicken breasts, heavy cream, artichokes, and spinach. Maybe the fettucine as well if you don’t have some on hand. Otherwise, linguine is fine! Just use a fat noodle that the sauce will wrap itself around.
- What kind of artichokes should I use? I had used marinated artichokes for this recipe, as the packed oil and spices latched itself to the artichoke so it spread throughout the sauce, which gave it more flavor. You can use artichoke hearts packed in oil or water for this recipe. Whichever type you use, make sure to drain them well and give them a slight chop to make the pieces a little smaller. I advise not using freshly roasted artichokes, unless you have the ambition and time to steam them. It takes effort to do this, which is why its easier to use jarred artichokes.
- Can I add anything else to this? Of course! Play with your food a little bit.
- Use kale or arugula instead of spinach.
- Add some sundried tomatoes.
- Add a can of drained diced tomatoes.
- Add some fresh basil.
- Sautee some mushrooms and add them in.
- Add broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Fettuccine and Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1/4 inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 16 oz heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 2 bags of spinach (5 oz each)
- 1 (12 oz) jar marinated artichokes, removed from oil and chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 lb Fettucine noodles
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the spinach then push the leaves down to submerge them in the water. Blanch until the stems are no longer rigid (about 40 seconds) and then drain the spinach and dump it into a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking immediately (this is called shocking the veggie). Once cooled, squeeze the excess water by wrapping the spinach in a towel and squeezing it. Set this aside.
- Dump the water out of the stockpot you used for the spinach, then refill it with 6 quarts of water and 3 tbsp of salt. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Start the sauce while waiting. Once water is boiling, add fettuccine and cook according to package directions.
- Melt the butter in a saucepot on medium-high heat. Once hot, but not burnt, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the flour. Combine by whisking so the flour coats the onions and garlic and creates a roux. It will look clumpy and that’s ok! Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until there is a golden-brown color to the roux.
- Add the heavy cream, and whisk to break up the roux. Keep whisking until the roux is broken up. This should take you about 2 minutes. Allow it to thicken, 5 minutes, whisking often. Once thickened, add the chicken broth and 3/4 cups of milk. Whisk often and simmer for 10 minutes. Start the chicken while watching the sauce. Once it starts to thicken up, add the rest of the milk, whisk to combine, and simmer for 10 minutes more. It should be creamy enough to coat a spoon now, while not being overly thick. (*1)
- For the chicken: Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper to your liking. Heat a grill pan (*2) on medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Cook the chicken in the grill pan for 7 minutes on one side. You want to make sure there are grill marks before flipping. Flip, then grill for 5 minutes more, or until the internal temperature is 165F.
- Continue the sauce: Add the spinach, artichokes, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Notes:
(*1) If you want a thicker sauce, feel free to not add the rest of the milk. Adding the rest of the milk will make the sauce creamy, but not totally thick, which is what a cream sauce is about.
(*2) If you do not own a grill pan, you can easily use a saute pan and pan-fry it. Make sure you get a beautiful brown color on both sides. Brown food tastes good! (As my idol, Anne Burrell, would say)
Nutrition Facts
Calories
896.24Fat (grams)
49.49Sat. Fat (grams)
29.12Carbs (grams)
56.63Fiber (grams)
4.06Net carbs
52.57Sugar (grams)
7.98Protein (grams)
55.68Sodium (milligrams)
806.63Cholesterol (grams)
237.28
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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