Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

This easy Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken dish with sundried tomatoes is one of those meals that feels indulgent with the garlic cream cheese sauce but is actually light, healthy, and packed with veggies. Serve it with some polenta or roasted potatoes for a restaurant style meal at home.

You know what is a totally under-used vegetable in my opinion? The artichoke! They are so good, a bit tangy, a bit nutty, a bit sweet. I think a lot of people are put off thinking about using them because fresh ones are kind of a pain to cook and eat. (Although still delicious if you have the time!)

And, as you may have noticed, I do not fear the artichoke. I like to use them whenever I can, or when I'm bored with other vegetables or just looking for something a little different and slightly fancy.

You know what goes great with artichokes? Spinach! That's why you'll often see these two ingredients together. One more substantial veggie and one more wilty green, and the two flavors together just work. Add chicken and you've got yourself the makings of a super healthy, super delicious meal!

How do you make Spinach and Artichoke Chicken?

The first thing I like to do is to get all of my ingredients prepped and ready to go here. That means pounding my chicken breasts, mincing the garlic, draining the artichokes, and having all the other ingredients measured or at least nearby so I can make the cooking process go as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Next, I season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the olive oil to a skillet set over medium-high heat. I add the chicken to the oil and cook each side for 3-4 minutes, until both sides are browned and cooked through. Take the chicken breasts out and set them aside.

Using the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and cook down for about 30 seconds, or until it begins to become fragrant. Add the chicken broth to the garlic and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the burned bits of chicken and/or garlic from the bottom of the pan into the broth.

To the broth, add the cream cheese and Parmesan. Stir them all together to create a creamy sauce, then stir in the artichoke hearts, spinach, and sundried tomatoes. Cook this veggie/cheese mixture for 3-4 minutes until the spinach wilts and then season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken back to the pan at this stage, snuggling it all nice into the creamy sauce and veggies.

Serving Ideas and Side Dishes

This chicken can be served many different ways, such as:

• Over rice. Brown, white, cauliflower, it doesn't matter, it all tastes delicious!
• Try some cooked quinoa under or mixed into this chicken and artichoke dish — delish!
• This chicken dish would also work well over high-fiber or veggie pasta, or regular wide egg noodles as well.
• Polenta! You all know I love that corny dish. This mixes in nicely with some polenta rounds as well.
• Serve this chicken and artichoke recipe over a veggie noodle. Zucchini, yellow squash, or carrots all make great noodles!
• Make spaghetti squash boats!

Tips, Tricks, and Pantry swaps

• You might think that there's no reason to make the chicken breasts all the same thickness, but this is key in making sure they all cook at the same time. Otherwise, you'll have one really overdone piece and one piece that's not quite done and it will mess up this otherwise perfect dish.
• If you don't have spinach, you could substitute kale or another leafy green.
• I wouldn't use marinated artichokes because that can throw off the flavor of the rest of the dish. Plain artichokes, rinsed, should be perfect. You can also use jarred artichokes.
• To keep the calorie count and the fat count low I used reduced-fat cream cheese, but you can use the full-fat version if that's what you have or you would prefer it.
• Feel free to swap in veggie broth or your own homemade broth for the low sodium chicken broth.
• You can use jarred minced garlic, it's a great option if you don't have fresh.
• This dish will keep in the refrigerator, covered for up to three days.
• I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish, as the cheese sauce and vegetables will not thaw well.

Looking for more spinach artichoke recipes?

• Baked Spinach Artichoke Pasta
• Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese
• Spinach and Artichoke Pizza
• Slow Cooker Spinach, Artichoke, and Kale Dip