{"id":5686,"date":"2026-08-25T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/?p=5686"},"modified":"2026-07-10T08:47:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T07:47:19","slug":"quick-creamy-chicken-pasta-with-spinach-uk-dinner-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/recipes-en\/quick-creamy-chicken-pasta-with-spinach-uk-dinner-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Quick Creamy Chicken Pasta with Spinach | UK Dinner Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Quick Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta<\/h1>\n<p>Preparing a flavourful and nutritious dinner shouldn&#8217;t consume your entire evening. This recipe for quick creamy chicken and spinach pasta is expertly designed for those bustling weeknights, demanding minimal active cooking time yet yielding a deeply satisfying result. Every step has been meticulously planned to maximise efficiency, enabling you to relish a warm, wholesome meal from preparation to table in just 30 minutes. It offers a wonderfully practical solution for when you crave something truly delicious without any unnecessary complications or fuss.<\/p>\n<h2>Quick Overview<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Preparation Time: 10 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Cooking Time: 20 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Total Time: 30 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty: Easy<\/li>\n<li>Serves: 4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ingredients<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>11.3 oz (320g) short pasta (e.g., penne, fusilli)<\/li>\n<li>14.1 oz (400g) chicken breast, diced<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<li>2 cloves garlic, finely minced<\/li>\n<li>7 oz (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved<\/li>\n<li>7 fl oz (200ml) fresh cooking cream<\/li>\n<li>3.5 fl oz (100ml) chicken (or vegetable) stock<\/li>\n<li>5.3 oz (150g) fresh spinach<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<li>Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Method<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.<\/li>\n<li>While the pasta cooks, dice the chicken breast into approximately 2cm cubes. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.<\/li>\n<li>Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it&#8217;s golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Stir in the minced garlic and halved cherry tomatoes, cooking for another minute.<\/li>\n<li>Pour the fresh cooking cream and chicken stock into the frying pan. Add the fresh spinach and allow it to wilt, stirring gently, until the sauce thickens slightly.<\/li>\n<li>Drain the pasta, reserving about half a cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the drained pasta directly into the frying pan with the chicken and spinach sauce.<\/li>\n<li>Toss well to combine all the ingredients, adding a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if necessary to achieve a beautifully creamy consistency. Serve immediately, garnished with a generous scattering of grated Parmesan cheese.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Serving &amp; Leftovers<\/h2>\n<p>Serve the pasta hot, garnished with grated Parmesan and, if desired, a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, add a tablespoon of water or stock and warm gently in a pan or microwave.<\/p>\n<h2>Nutrition<\/h2>\n<p>Nutritional values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portions.<\/p>\n<h2>One Last Thing<\/h2>\n<p>This recipe shows how a satisfying meal fits easily into your routine. Its simplicity makes it repeatable, a dependable solution for busy evenings. When time is precious but good food is desired, this straightforward approach ensures you can enjoy every meal stress-free.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how effortless a satisfying dinner can be with this quick and easy creamy chicken and spinach pasta. Designed for busy evenings, it delivers a delightful meal in under 30 minutes.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"ingredients_html_en_gb":"<div style=\"background:#f9f7f2;padding:25px;border-radius:10px;border:1px solid #e8e4db;font-family:sans-serif\">\r\n    <h3 style=\"text-align:center;margin-bottom:20px\">Shop ingredients<\/h3>\r\n    <div style=\"background:#fff;padding:15px;border-radius:5px;border:1px solid #eee\">\r\n      <div style=\"text-align:center;margin-bottom:15px;border-bottom:1px dashed #ccc;padding-bottom:10px\">\r\n        <strong style=\"color:#ee1c2e;margin-bottom:10px\">TESCO<\/strong>\r\n        <div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=short%20pasta\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add short pasta \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=chicken%20breast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add chicken breast \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=olive%20oil\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add olive oil \u2192<\/a><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div style=\"text-align:center\">\r\n        <strong style=\"color:#53334e;margin-bottom:10px\">OCADO<\/strong>\r\n        <div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=short%20pasta\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add short pasta \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=chicken%20breast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add chicken breast \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=olive%20oil\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add olive oil \u2192<\/a><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div style=\"margin-top:15px;border-top:1px solid #eee;padding-top:10px\"><details><summary style=\"font-size:13px;cursor:pointer\">See all ingredients<\/summary><div style=\"margin-top:10px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=garlic\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">garlic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=cherry%20tomatoes\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">cherry tomatoes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=fresh%20cooking%20cream\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">fresh cooking cream<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=chicken%20stock\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">chicken stock<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=fresh%20spinach\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">fresh spinach<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=salt\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">salt<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=black%20pepper\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">black pepper<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=parmesan%20cheese\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">Parmesan cheese<\/a><\/div><\/details><\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>","rank_math_focus_keyword":"creamy chicken pasta","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[208,7],"tags":[8,222,11,223,12,212,230,9,27,216,10],"class_list":["post-5686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes-en","category-dinner","tag-30-minute","tag-emergency-dinner","tag-family-friendly","tag-healthy-focus","tag-no-chaos","tag-premium-vault","tag-processed-weekly-plan","tag-quick-prep","tag-stovetop","tag-summer","tag-weeknight","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6980,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686\/revisions\/6980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}