One-Pan Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Spinach
This One-Pan Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Spinach is my answer to cooking dinner without filling the sink. Everything, down to the tomatoes themselves, cooks in a single skillet. It's a lighter weeknight alternative to my one-pan beef rigatoni. And, since it's ready in about 30 minutes, it's perfect any night of the year (not just the cozy, dark, winter ones)!
Quick Look: One-Pan Pasta with Chicken, Spinach and Mushrooms
- 🍝 Serves: 4 people
- ⭐ Features: High-Protein, One-Pan, Minimal Cleanup
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 💥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 🕑 Total Time: 35 minutes
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Easy
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? It's built around whatever leftover or rotisserie chicken you already have, so there's no extra pan and no extra cook time for the protein. 😉
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Key Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes: They are the whole base of the sauce. Cooking them cut-side down lets them steam and soften right in the pan (no canned tomatoes needed). My 20-Minute Cherry Tomato Burrata Pasta uses a faster blister-and-smash version of this same idea.
- Mushrooms and onion: Cook down underneath the tomatoes while they simmer, picking up all that released juice. By the time you mash everything together, they've basically melted into the sauce.
- Rotisserie or roasted chicken: The shortcut that makes this a real weeknight dinner. I like store-bought rotisserie breast meat here, though leftover roasted chicken, thighs, or a mix of light and dark meat all work.
- Parmesan: Melts directly into the hot sauce and thickens it slightly. Hot tip: freshly grated matters here, since pre-shredded bags don't melt nearly as smoothly.
- Baby spinach: Added at the very end so it wilts from residual heat instead of turning to mush. A full bunch looks like a lot going in, but it cooks down fast!
Substitutions & Additions
- Make it meatless: Skip the chicken entirely, if you want! My Creamy One-Pan Tomato and Spinach Fettuccine is already a fully vegetarian spin on this same tomato-and-spinach idea. That's proof the combination works without any protein at all.
- Swap the pasta shape: Rotini, rigatoni, and fusilli all work well here because their ridges and pockets grab onto the chunky sauce. Want pasta to take on sauce differently? My 30-Minute One Pan Lasagna Hack lets the LASAGNA noodles cook straight in the sauce. Yep, it really works.
- Add more heat: Increase the chili flakes in the sauce, or finish each bowl with an extra pinch right before serving.
- Swap the protein: Ground beef works here too. Want to see the same fresh-tomato approach from a different angle? My Creamy Ground Beef Pasta is built the same way. It uses whole tomatoes too, with no jarred sauce.
How To Make My One-Pan Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms
This is an overview of the recipe. All measurements and detailed steps are in the recipe box below.
- Place the tomatoes cut-side down in a hot, oiled skillet. Scatter the mushrooms and onion around them, then add the garlic and tomato paste.
- After simmering covered for 9 to 10 minutes, peel away the loosened tomato skins with a fork or tongs. They should pull off easily.
- Mash the softened tomatoes directly in the skillet, stirring everything into a rustic, slightly chunky sauce.
- Shred the roasted chicken with two forks (or a chicken shredder, if you have one) while the sauce finishes cooking.
- Stir in the spinach, chicken, Parmesan, and seasonings. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach wilts and the Parmesan melts in.
- Toss the drained pasta into the skillet until it's completely coated, then spoon into bowls and serve.
One-Pan Chicken Spinach and Mushroom Pasta FAQs
Yes, completely! Leave the chicken out and the fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, Parmesan, and spinach still make a flavorful sauce on their own. See the Substitutions section above for a fully vegetarian version; my one-pan creamy tomato pasta is another great option.
Fresh tomatoes vary in how much liquid they release, so this is normal, not a mistake. Simmer it a bit longer to cook off extra liquid, or stir in a touch more Parmesan to thicken it.
Rotini, rigatoni, and fusilli are my picks; their ridges and pockets grab onto the chunky sauce. See the Substitutions section above for more on why shape matters here.
You can, but you'll need to cook it through separately first (raw chicken added at the finishing step won't fully cook in just 2 to 3 minutes). The rotisserie chicken shortcut is what keeps this one truly weeknight-fast.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce back up, since it thickens as it sits.
Chef Josh's Expert Tips
- On timing: Start the pasta water as soon as the tomatoes go into the pan. By the time the pasta's drained, the sauce is usually right on schedule. My cherry tomato burrata pasta runs on that same kind of overlap. It gets dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat.
- On the tomatoes: Don't rush the covered simmer. The skins need that full 9 to 10 minutes to loosen enough to peel off cleanly.
- On the chicken: Shred it while it's still slightly warm from reheating; it pulls apart easier than cold chicken straight from the fridge.
- On minimal cleanup: I count dishes the same way I count ingredients now that I'm cooking at home more. One skillet, one pot for pasta, and a couple of forks is the whole job here.
Four more One-Pan Pastas worth trying...
Make this once and you'll see why I reach for the same one-pan trick for almost every pasta night now! If you want the heartier version, give my one-pan beef rigatoni a try too (same idea, different protein) 😎.
Recipe
One-Pan Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Spinach
Ingredients
Method
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the 1 tablespoon olive oil. Slice just the tops off the 5 tomatoes to expose the flesh, then place them cut side down in the hot pan.
- Scatter the ½ cup mushrooms and ½ cup onion around the tomatoes. Add the 2 garlic cloves and 1½ tablespoons tomato paste.
- Cover the skillet and let everything cook for 9 to 10 minutes. The tomatoes should turn very soft with skins that pull away easily.
- While the tomatoes simmer, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the 8 oz pasta according to package directions until al dente, then reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
- Remove the lid and peel away the loosened tomato skins with a fork or tongs, then discard the skins.
- Mash the softened tomatoes directly in the skillet with the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and tomato paste until you have a rustic, chunky sauce.
- Shred the 2 chicken breasts using two forks or a chicken shredder.
- Add the spinach, shredded chicken, ½ cup Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon chili flakes, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach wilts and the Parmesan melts in.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until completely coated in sauce. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it needs loosening.
- Spoon into bowls and finish with extra Parmesan, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Pasta shape: rotini, rigatoni, and fusilli work especially well, their ridges and twists catch the chunky sauce.
- Chicken: leftover roasted chicken, thighs, or a mix of light and dark meat all work. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is the fastest option.
- Make it meatless: leave the chicken out, the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, Parmesan, and spinach make a flavorful sauce on their own.
- Sauce consistency: fresh tomatoes vary in how much liquid they release, keep the reserved pasta water on hand to loosen the sauce if needed.
- Extra heat: increase the chili flakes, or finish each bowl with an extra pinch right before serving.
Nutrition
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Who doesn't love a one-pan dish! This one makes it EXTRA easy because you can use any chicken you have on hand (leftover, rotisserie, breast/thigh/etc). It's a go-to recipe that we have on repeat! Enjoy this one y'all.