Calibrate Recipe

SPINACH-AND-ARTICHOKE DIP CHICKEN

Gluten-free, Halal, Metabolic Jumpstart

Active: 35 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Serves 4
Yellow-Green

We took classic spinach-and-artichoke dip and turned it into a one-dish chicken dinner that’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fat. This creamy casserole couldn’t be easier to prep: You cook, mix, and bake the whole thing in just one skillet. It doesn’t require a ton of prep or ingredients, but it sure delivers a ton of flavor. 

Swapping in Greek yogurt for the typical cream cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise base amps up the protein in this dish, while knocking down the sodium and saturated fat content. (Both sour cream and mayonnaise have four times as much saturated fat as whole-milk Greek yogurt—and cream cheese has eight times as much!) Mixing in easy pantry staples like garlic, canned artichoke hearts, and frozen spinach makes this a weeknight wonder that the whole family will love.

Serve this with a side of baked sweet potatoes or an intact whole grain, like quinoa or farro. Keep in mind that one serving of this dinner contains nearly your daily allotment of dairy from the yellow-green category (1.5 ounces of cheese). If you’re vegetarian, simply skip the chicken, or swap in cooked mushrooms or another favorite vegetable instead.

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • One 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed very dry
  • One 14-ounce can or jar artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
  • 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 4 ounces shredded mozzarella
  • 2 ounces finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes for breasts and 7 minutes for thighs. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
  3. Return the chicken to the skillet. Add the garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, yogurt, and mozzarella and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and spread the mixture into an even layer, then sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan.
  4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until heated through and the cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Test Kitchen Tip:
Cooking for two? Instead of baking the whole four-person serving in the skillet, divide the mixture between two 1.5-quart oven-safe baking dishes. Bake one right away, then cover and stash the other unbaked dish in the refrigerator up to 3 days for a pre-prepped dinner later in the week. (Don’t have a 1.5-quart baking dish? You can use any size oven-safe vessel—your casserole will just be thicker or thinner and the bake time may need to be adjusted.)