When I think of New Year’s Eve, I don’t think of a big, sit down family dinner. I think of something easy…a hearty appetizer and something for dessert. This year, my daughters had their friends spend the night but I didn’t want to turn to pizza (again). Instead, I made this hearty appetizer, Chicken and Artichoke Bake. It’s a riff on the traditional artichoke dip, except you add chicken. It’s hearty enough to do double duty as a meal.
When I made it, I cut up the chicken into cubes, then tossed it with the ingredients I usually have on hand: artichokes, spinach, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Mix it all up, then pour it into a prepared baking dish (I use spray cooking oil to grease it).
Then, bake it in the oven for 50 minutes. Right before serving, put some more mozzarella cheese on top and broil it for about 5 minutes to get the top golden brown.
While the chicken and artichoke bake was cooking, the kiddos were playing Mah Jong. My mother-in-law gave me my own set years ago. I don’t know how to play it, but one of the friends did. She taught everyone how to play.
(They loved it so much that even now, two weeks later, the card table is still set out with the Mah Jong game set up on it.)
While they were playing, the Chicken and Artichoke bake was a’ cooking. When it was ready, they did manage to step away to enjoy a bit of Chicken and Artichoke bake. I served it with slices of toasted baguette for dipping. You could also serve this more as a casserole meal served with roasted veggies. This particular night was informal, though, so the dip was perfect.
This is the perfect dish to enjoy if you love artichokes. They blend in with the cheeses and the chicken gives just a bit of savory heft to the meal. And it has spinach, so you get your “real” veggies in, too. So delicious when served with slices of toasted sour dough.
We had enough left over, and two days later, had it as a main course with a side of roasted broccoli. The leftovers taste even better!
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Chicken and Artichoke Bake
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken diced into bite-sized bits
- 16 oz package of frozen spinach defrosted
- 12 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts drained
- 14.11 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 4 oz can of diced green chiles drained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 8 oz cream cheese break up into chunks
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a deep lasagna/casserole baker dish with cooking spray or butter.
- Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Squeeze out the excess water in the spinach either with your hands or wrap it in a towel and wring out. Add to the bowl with the chicken. Mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the artichoke hearts and the diced green chiles, making sure they are drained before adding. Mix together .
- Add the cream cheese, breaking up into chunks. Then add the Parmesan cheese. Mix together.
- Add only 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Mix together.
- Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix together.
- Add the ingredients to the prepared casserole dish, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top.
- Bake for 50 minutes, then switch the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the top nice and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Notes
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