Easy Chicken and Spinach Casserole Recipe

Pin It

The original recipe for this easy chicken and spinach casserole came from a friend more than 10 years ago and I’m not sure where she found it. Some recipes seem to just get passed on long enough until there isn’t an original source but are so good you have to share them.

I didn’t have all the ingredients the last time I made this so I improvised a bit, but it came out great as usual. Here’s the finished product, along with the recipe and photos for the easy chicken and spinach casserole. I’ll share the original recipe along with ideas on how to modify this meal.

Chicken and Spinach Casserole

About the Casserole

What’s great about this recipe is it’s a pretty balanced meal. It contains protein, carbs and vegetables. I will share the complete recipe. There are ways you can modify this recipe if you have allergies or food restrictions. Another option is to change up the animal protein.

This could easily be made with tuna, salmon, turkey, etc. The recipe calls for frozen spinach. I also cook with fresh spinach too. In order to use fresh spinach you will simply want to saute the spinach for a few minutes to cook it down. I usually do this in a pan with a lid and I add a little bit of water to the pan.

Cook on medium. Spinach is a great source of vitamins and minerals. I really have learned to enjoy adding it to a lot of meals. I also use kale in the same fashion and this year I will be growing both in my garden.

Chicken Spinach Bake

Next Steps

As you can see above the recipe starts with having some shredded chicken breast. You may need to cook this first for the recipe. Alternately if you have leftovers such as from a rotisserie chicken you could use that. In a pinch, use a can of drained chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken Breast (cooked and shredded)
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Package Frozen Spinach (thaw and rinse)
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used cheddar)
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 3 Tbs. Flour
• Black Pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Bread Crumbs (for topping)

All of the spices are to taste. This is meant to be an easy “dump” type recipe so no need to overthink the amounts when it comes to spices. I normally do not add salt as the cheese is salty but you can also add salt if you desire.

A note on the cheese, like many recipes containing cheese this works best if you buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself or cut into small pieces. Bagged shredded cheese, while quicker to use, contains additives to prevent clumping. These additives can impact the flavor and texture of the final meal.

Understandably if you are in a pinch just go for the bagged shredded cheese. But I wanted to point out this difference. The differences is common in cooking and also a known issue when making homemade macaroni and cheese.

Easy Spinach Casserole

Directions

Cook and shred your chicken, set aside. Shred or chop your cheese, set aside. Gather your frozen spinach or if you are using fresh, saute it in a pan and set aside. Now that you have gathered all of the ingredients do the following.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowland then pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan sprayed with olive oil. Alternately you can butter or oil the pan with a silicone brush. Top with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350-degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serves four.

Here’s a photo of the spinach as I got it ready. Then a quick picture of the entire mixture before putting it in the greased pan. Another item to point out with this recipe is while it contains flour and bread crumbs, it’s on the lower carb side.

This is a great option if you are on a low carb diet or embracing low carb eating on some days. Alternately, if you wanted to increase the carbohydrates in this meal you could add additional chopped veggies and/or a bit of cooked elbow macaroni.

Recipe for Chicken and Spinach Casserole

Here’s another photo of the meal once it was cooked. The bread crumbs make for a nice toping. It’s not the most photogenic of meals but it’s a quick and easy recipe and a well balanced meal.

Cooking with Spinach

I find this to be an easy way to use spinach and if you are new to cooking with spinach in general – an easy introduction. I had never cooked with spinach so I started by using the frozen spinach in this recipe and thawing it. Now I am comfortable using frozen or fresh spinach.

Chicken and Spinach Casserole Recipe

In Summary

I hope you enjoy making this easy chicken and spinach casserole. I like this recipe because not only is it easy to make it also contains a good source of protein, carbohydrates and spinach is a nutrient-packed vegetable and leafy green.

It also makes for a good leftover and doesn’t take very long to make. You can easily reheat this meal or freeze a portion if needed. It should feed about four people if you don’t serve it with anything else.

Do you prefer spinach fresh or frozen?

*This post was originally published in 2011 and has been updated and republished for accuracy and comprehensiveness.