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This chicken feta spinach pasta recipe is light yet filling and full of incredible fresh flavors. It’s a great easy weeknight meal option all summer long!
Can’t get enough feta? Try this Whipped Feta with Fresh Herbs or my Simple Watermelon Feta Salad with Cucumber, Basil, and Mint.
Why you’ll love it
You may know me for making pasta with creamy sauces, but I wanted to change it up and try a healthier pasta with a fresh tomato and feta sauce. If you’re wondering, this is not the TikTok feta pasta, but our kitchen actually thinks it’s so much better! And we actually kinda sorta invented it first. 😉
Simple ingredients really deliver in this recipe. I had some feta I needed to use up, so I challenged myself to be creative with what I already had in my fridge. Sometimes the best recipes are born that way! It’s now our favorite easy summer pasta, and it’s made on the stovetop in 25 minutes for a quick light meal.
Ingredients for it
- Pasta – you can use any shape. I am having a moment with fettuccine and linguine these days, though.
- Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts
- Olive oil, dried oregano, garlic powder – we’re pan frying the chicken in this tasty base for the sauce
- Chicken broth – to enhance the sauce
- Dijon mustard – my trick to make sauces amazing. You don’t taste the mustard itself; it just adds savory goodness.
- Lemon juice – for a bit of acidity and brightness. Always use freshly squeezed.
- Tomatoes – we chose grape, but cherry or any little tomato works fine. Just make sure to find the freshest you can!
- Spinach – we’re using fresh baby spinach to complement the tomatoes
- Feta – the kind that’s packed in oil and herbs is our preference
How to make chicken feta pasta
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Boil water and cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, pan fry the chicken along with the olive oil, dried oregano, and garlic powder until nearly cooked. Take the chicken out and set aside.
- Add in the chicken broth, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice to the pan and simmer for a minute. Stir in the tomatoes until they’re nice and soft and release the sweet juices.
- Place the chicken back into the skillet, and heat through. Stir in the spinach and feta, and let the spinach wilt. Toss with the pasta, season with salt & pepper, and serve right away!
Substitutions and variations
- If you want this dish to have a bit of heat, add in some red pepper flakes.
- We love it with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan. To make it easy, we use this Microplane zester.
- This pasta sauce is really forgiving, so if you have some fresh herbs from the garden, feel free to throw them in. Basil and parsley would be fantastic.
What to serve with it
- It makes a great complete meal by itself or with a slice of crusty bread and a nice drink on the patio.
- If you do want to pair it with a salad, try mixed greens with this creamy balsamic dressing or this Arugula Salad with Fennel and Cheese.
Leftovers and storage
- This pasta will last for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- To reheat, add to a saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You could also microwave it in 30-second increments, but that’s not our preferred method.
- It probably won’t freeze well since all the fresh ingredients won’t come out as nice when thawed.
Will you make this feta chicken pasta? Questions? Let me know in the comments below!
Chicken Feta Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 (10.5 ounce) container little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut into halves
- 1.5 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 3.5 ounces feta (I used a kind that’s cubed and packed in oil and herbs)
- Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Prep your chicken. Add it to a skillet, along with the olive oil, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Chicken should be close to cooked. Take chicken out of pan and set aside.
- Add the chicken broth, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice to the pan. Stir until the mustard has dissolved. Let it simmer for about a minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should be falling apart and making a nice tomato sauce.
- Add the chicken back into the pan. Let it heat through (and make sure it’s fully cooked without overcooking it).
- Stir in the spinach and feta. Let the spinach wilt, and then toss the sauce with the pasta (add a little pasta water if you wish) and serve immediately. Optional: add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat and/or freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Very good. One of my favorites. The only change I made was adding more spinach. Question. Your recipes frequently call for chicken breasts. Approximately how much do they typically weigh?
Hi Jan! So happy this is a fave. I’d say for average “medium” ones, two weigh about 1 lb.
Very quick and easy recipe. My husband even said Very tasty!
Excellent!! 😀
Hi, I am dying to try this recipe, but I can’t fin find / buy feta packed in oil and herbs, which is what you recommend for this recipe.
I have looked everywhere online and even in local “Eastern” markets. All I can find is feta packed in brine.
Suggestions, please. Thanks
Hi Evelyn! You can use whatever feta you can find. Perhaps add in a sprinkle of Italian seasoning to give it a little more flavor if needed. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This was delicious! I didn’t have any chicken, but had leftover roasted cauliflower & carrots! Added a bit of garden fresh basil as I had it in abundance in my garden. Ready in a short time and really tasty!!
Sounds good to me!! Thanks, Lorraine!
Just made this and my family loved it !!!
On my “gonna do this often” for dinner recipes.
Fantastic!! Thank you, Sue!
Has anyone substituted shrimp?
That should work great!