Skillet Chicken Spinach Rice Casserole

chicken spinach rice casserole in stainless steel skillet

5 from 2 votes

Skillet Chicken Spinach Rice Casserole

Chicken Spinach Rice Casserole with tender chicken, creamy rice, spinach, tomatoes, and Parmesan is a fast and easy skillet dinner that cooks in about 30 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 593kcal

Author: Cara Lanz

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
4 chicken breasts
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 ½ cups instant white rice, uncooked
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

Pound chicken with a meat mallet into an even thickness. Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear chicken 5-7 minutes or until it releases from the pan. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and add butter to pan. Cook chicken 5-7 more minutes until nearly cooked through. Turn chicken over to coat in the buttery sauce and remove from pan.
If the pan is dry, add 1 tablespoon butter or oil. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until light golden brown.
Pour in a little broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the broth, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, cream of chicken soup, and rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
Add the Parmesan cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Stir until spinach is slightly wilted. Nestle the chicken into the rice, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes or until the rice is tender and the chicken is done.

Notes

Pounding chicken allows it to cook evenly on all sides.
To pound chicken, place it between layers of plastic wrap or in a ziptop bag and use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the thicker side of the chicken to an even thickness.
If you don't have a cover for your skillet, use aluminum foil.
The rice will absorb moisture as it sits. If necessary, stir in a little more broth at the end if it needs it.

Nutrition