Creamy Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Spinach

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Creamy Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Spinach

A rich and creamy meal that's easy to make and surprisingly healthy.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Anne Danahy, RD

Ingredients

1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 4 thighs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks light green part only, sliced thin
1 pound baby Bella mushrooms stems removed, quartered
8 medium garlic cloves smashed, peeled, and chopped
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup chicken stock or more if the sauce seems too thick
2 tablespoons Sherry
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups baby spinach about ½ of a 5 ounce package
5 ounces plain Greek yogurt full-fat or nonfat. See note below for nonfat

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F
Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken thighs.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, and saute the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side, until it's lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot, and set it aside on a plate.
Add the leeks, mushrooms, and garlic to the Dutch oven, and saute the vegetables for about 10 minutes, or until the mushroom liquid starts to evaporate.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and stir. Make sure there are no clumps of flour. Cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the chicken stock, sherry, and thyme and stir to combine.
Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven. Cook for one hour, stirring once or twice.
When the chicken is cooked, add the spinach to the pot, stir it into the sauce, and let it wilt. Return the pot to the oven for about 3 more minutes to cook the spinach.
Remove the pot from the oven. Remove about 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce from the pot and stir it into the Greek yogurt to temper it. Stir them together and then add the tempered yogurt back to the sauce. Stir well to combine everything.
Add additional salt to taste to the pot, and serve as is, or if desired, over egg noodles mashed potatoes, or cooked barley.

Notes

NOTE: If you want to reheat this for leftovers, Put the Dutch oven on the stove, and bring it to a simmer slowly. Don't boil it, especially if you used nonfat yogurt - the sauce will curdle. Full fat yogurt will hold together better but you still shouldn't boil it.

Nutrition