Creamy Chicken and Spinach

Imagine if garlicky creamed spinach and chicken-and-gravy had a baby. That's what this amazing dish is like. Oh, and then freshly grated, nutty parmesan cheese showed up and made everything better. This is a winning, one-pot dish that will have everyone swooning.

The inspiration for this dish? Probably what you'd expect me to say - I wanted to combine two of our favorite dishes into one. Creamed spinach + gravy-smothered chicken. And, they play very well together, I can tell you that! And that rice underneath? Every tender kernel absorbs the deliciousness.

About the rice: I cooked 1 cup of white rice for this dish - and that's the first ingredient in the list below. I didn't give instructions because they're on the packaging, BUT, when I cook rice, I always add a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 tablespoon of butter. I also use chicken stock instead of water. If you want to skip making rice from scratch, use one or two of the 90-second ready rice pouches.

You can also serve the chicken mixture over pasta!

Creamy Chicken and Spinach

1 cup rice, cooked according to the package directions (see note above)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped tomato (about 1 tomato - I prefer vine-ripened)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cooked until golden brown on all sides, stirring frequently. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. When the butter is bubbly, whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the chicken broth, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken to the pan (with any accumulated juices from the plate) and simmer for 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens to the consistency of gravy. Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds, until the leaves wilt. Fold in 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese.
Serve the chicken mixture over the rice and top with the chopped tomato. Serve with extra parmesan cheese on the side.

 Serves 4