I am writing this as we have begun some serious social distancing due to COVID-19. If you are trying to avoid the coronavirus by dining out less or are trying to cook at home more to save money and eat healthier, you still get cravings for certain restaurant specialties. Before this pandemic, I had been in the mood for spinach-artichoke dip. I wanted to figure out a way to make it into a healthy-ish dinner to avoid the guilty indulgence of going out or making a supper of heavy hors d’oeuvres, so I scoured Pinterest and other online sources for recipes.
That was when I found Easy Family Recipes at easyfamilyrecipes.com/. Kimber, the author of the blog, is the first to admit she is not a formally-trained chef. She’s “just an average girl” who loves “to put together simple ingredients and great flavors to create (mostly healthy) recipes that anyone can make.” I appreciate that when you go to her home page, she has categories such as “Weeknight Chicken Recipes” and that you can also browse by ingredient or method, such as crockpot. This blog is definitely designed for people looking for new answers to the age old question, “What’s for dinner?” but who have limited time and resources.
While this casserole was not a hit with everyone in my family, I certainly enjoyed the leftovers! My craving was satisfied and then some.
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3 to 4 chicken breasts)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream (You can use low fat but not fat-free.)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
• 3 ounces freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and diced
• 4 cups (about 2 ounces) fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (You can also use frozen chopped spinach, just make sure to drain and wring it well.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the chicken breasts flat in a large baking dish and season with garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Mix the cheeses, then set aside 1/3 of it (about a cup). In a large bowl, mix the mayo, sour cream, mustard, onion, remaining salt and pepper, and the remainder of the cheeses. Then fold in the chopped spinach and diced artichoke hearts.
Spread mixture on top of the chicken, then top with the cup of cheese that you set aside. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit).
Serve hot and enjoy with pasta, rice or riced cauliflower.
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