Man-Pleasing Chicken is one of my husband's favorite chicken recipes. This easy dish goes from fridge to fork in 30 minutes!
Let it be known that I am a feminist through and through but the fact remains that Man-Pleasing Chicken is one of my husband’s very favorite meals so here we are.
Man, woman, or otherwise — y’all will devour this savory, hearty meal that goes from fridge to fork in just 30 minutes!
What’s Inside
Chicken breast cutlets are smothered in a mouthwatering mixture of sauted spinach, mushrooms, half and half, and parmesan cheese in this tasty, one-skillet supper. It’s then topped with bacon, of course, as you’d expect any husband-pleasing (or at least my husband) chicken to be!
As I said, this dish cooks in about 10 minutes and I like serving over pasta or prepared mashed potatoes, plus pairing it with an easy side dish like a fresh salad, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Baked Potatoes.
Everyone will lick their plates clean!
Start by browning 3 slices chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain then remove all but 1 teaspoon bacon grease from the skillet.
Turn the heat up to medium-high then season 4 chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, and saute for 3-4 minutes a side or until cooked through.
Slicing regular chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create cutlets not only lets them cook in half the time, but it essentially doubles your meat — it’s a great way to make chicken breasts go farther!
Next melt 1 Tablespoon butter in the skillet then add 1 chopped shallot and 8oz sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the mushrooms turn golden brown, 5-7 minutes.
Next, add 4 cups baby spinach, then allow them to wilt for about a minute.
Finally, add 1/2 cup half & half or heavy cream then let it simmer and thicken for about 1 minute. Finish by tossing in 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese then stir until combined.
I prefer fresh grated parm by the way, if you can swing it!
Plate the chicken then spoon the luscious spinach-mushroom-cream sauce over the top and finish with a sprinkling of crisp bacon, plus a crack of black pepper.
A bed of cooked pasta or prepared mashed potatoes is perfect for soaking up the creamy sauce, though serving it low carb as is, or with a side of Gluten Free Focaccia is also totally divine.
However you serve it, I hope you love this easy, pleasing, one skillet chicken recipe — enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, sliced in half lengthwise to create 4 cutlets
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat then add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain then pour out all but 1 teaspoon bacon grease (just eyeball it) and turn heat up to medium-high.
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper then add to skillet and saute until no longer pink, 2-3 minutes a side. Remove to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm.
- Melt butter in skillet then add shallots and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until mushrooms are tender, 5-7 minutes. Add spinach then saute until just barely wilted, 1 minute. Add half & half then cook until sauce is thickened, 1 minute, then stir in parmesan cheese. Plate chicken then pour sauce on top and sprinkle with cooked bacon.
Notes
- Serve with cooked pasta or over mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I don’t do dairy, and I am not great at subbing, can I make this without the cream, or use something else?
Made this for dinner tonight! It was delicious :D Definitely going into the bank of go-to chicken dinners. We had ours over zucchini noodles, and it was really tasty!
I have to be a hater for a minute, really I hope this becomes helpful criticism. I would love for this message to go to all food bloggers, but I can’t find a venue for that. Sorry you are my target, it’s not just you.
One or two picture of the finished dish are enough. Also, the picture does not need to be huge. I love the intermediate step pictures, they help us learn.
Put the recipe at the top, then the pictures and step by step stuff, and finally the adorable pictures of your kids.
It’s not so bad when viewed on a large screen, but reading this recipe on a phone or tablet requires paging down about 10 times.
Don’t stop blogging. Just tighten it up a bit.
OK, I’ll step off this soap box now and leave you alone.
I made this last night & it was a HUGE hit! My husband is asking for it again later this week. I even tweeked the recipe a little bit to make it healthier, & it was still super yummy! I used fat-free half & half & packaged bacon pieces instead of the bacon (which also saved time). I also used canned mushroom pieces to save time. This was seriously yummy even after I healthified it. ;) Making your BBQ chicken quesadillas tonight!
This is another winner!! This is the second recipe I have made from your blog, and the second one that was a HUGE success. The first was your beef enchiladas. I can attest that this chicken is pleasing to men and women alike. I made it one night for a friend (who tends to have picky taste) and she cleared her plate and requested the recipe – I even forgot to add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce and it still had great flavor. I made it the next night for my boyfriend (with the Parmesan) and he also loved it. I kind of want to make a huge batch of this sauce and put it on everything I eat :-) Both times served on whole wheat penne pasta. A real people-pleaser and keeper. Thanks, Kristin!
So glad to hear!!
Hi Kristin: This is a VERY delicious, and also a very eye-appealing dish. I served it first to my family, then to company…. and they couldn’t stop raving about it! The only thing I did differently was to add one small clove of crushed garlic. I served it over a bed of whole-grain spahgetti. This is about the tastiest chicken recipe which I’ve found on any cooking blog. Keep ’em coming. Best wishes to you & your lovely fsmily.
I made this tonight and my husband had seconds!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’ll be making it again!!
Why do reply’s made say to much of a mustard taste?I don’t see mustard as one of the ingredients.
Oh that was in regards to the other “Man Pleasing Chicken” dish I linked to at the beginning of the post that uses dijon mustard in the recipe!
I can also be said to be wife pleasing. I made this the other night and my wife claimed the two leftover servings for her lunches. Pinned, Made and Reviewed.
Just made this for dinner and the flavor was excellent. Didn’t use the bacon and don’t think we really missed it at all. Thanks for a yummy keeper of a recipe. I’ll be making this again.
Tried your recipe and my husband LOVED it! He even said the next day how good it was. Thanks for the recipe – Awesome!
This was delicious. Definitely took longer than 30 minutes but worth it!
I just made this for dinner and my husband and I just loved it!! Thank you for sharing this. :)