Creamy Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach
This cozy, one-pan pasta is perfect for cool camp nights. With tender chicken, sautéed mushrooms, and a silky Parmesan cream sauce that wilts fresh spinach right at the end. It’s simple, hearty, and comes together quickly on a camp stove or over steady coals.Be sure to make a little extra... you’ll be thrilled to reheat it for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil on your camp stove. Cook pasta to al dente; drain and set aside (reserve ½ cup pasta water).
- In a large 12" deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high. Season chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper, then sauté until lightly browned and cooked through, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the same pan, add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the butter. Sauté mushrooms with a pinch of salt until golden and their moisture cooks off, 4–5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning; cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth, scraping up browned bits. Stir in cream and bring to a gentle simmer, 2–3 minutes.
- Return chicken (and any juices) to the pan. Add Parmesan and stir until the sauce is smooth. If too thick, loosen with a splash of pasta water.
- Add drained pasta and spinach; toss until the spinach wilts and everything is coated and creamy, 1–2 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper. Serve hot with extra Parmesan.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Cube chicken at home, pre-slice mushrooms, and portion dry pasta into a zip bag. You can also grate and pack Parmesan ahead.
- Lighter Swap: Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and add an extra tablespoon of Parmesan to help the sauce thicken.
- One-Pot Trick: If you want to skip draining, boil pasta directly in 3 cups broth + 1 cup water, then stir in cream and proceed... simmer gently and add small splashes of water as needed.
- Food Safety: Cook chicken to 165°F; keep dairy chilled in the cooler until ready to use.