This baked spinach artichoke chicken is a delicious dish to help you liven up weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken breast topped with creamy spinach artichoke topping and melted cheese will become a go-to at your family dinner table! (gluten-free, nut-free)

Where are my spinach artichoke dip fans? This dinner is for you! Juicy chicken breast topped with what is essentially a healthier spinach artichoke dip and gooey, melty cheese is simply irresistible and will become a new favorite in your household.

It never fails that every time I open a can of artichokes, I end up with half of it sitting in my refrigerator, just waiting to be used or go bad. So I make this spinach artichoke chicken for dinner to cut down on food waste and to make chicken breasts a little more exciting. It also doesn't hurt that Mr. Table loves spinach artichoke dip, so he'll happily eat it for dinner.

Why You'll Love This Baked Spinach Artichoke Chicken, Too

If you love spinach artichoke dip, you'll love eating it on top of chicken! Hot, bubbly, creamy spinach artichoke dip-esque topping under a blanket of two kinds of melted cheese? What's not to love?
It's an easy chicken dinner. Let’s face it, we all have a package of chicken breasts sitting in the freezer. This is a delicious and easy way to make it into something the whole family enjoys without a ton of work. A food processor is you best friend in this recipe (I love this KitchenAid mini food processor for easier cleaning.)
It's a healthy-ish yet indulgent tasting dish that's packed with protein and low carb (if that's your thing). And it's hiding a healthy dose of vegetables under that cheese!
It's a great way to use up that half can of artichoke hearts you don't know what to do with or the bag of wilting spinach in your veggie drawer.

How To Make Spinach Artichoke Baked Chicken

To make this delicious meal, you'll first make the spinach artichoke topping. Start by sautéing the spinach lightly, so that it doesn't get watery in the oven. Then blend it in the food processor with artichoke hearts, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic, and cheese.
Next, sear the chicken breast in the same skillet you used for the spinach. This helps lock in the juices and make the chicken more flavorful, although it's optional (see notes for instructions on skipping this step).
Spread the tops of the chicken breasts with the spinach artichoke mixture. Layer it on nice and thick. Then sprinkle on the cheese.
Bake the chicken at 375°F for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and golden. (I highly suggest a meat thermometer if you don't already have one to take the guesswork out of cooking meat and poultry.)

Tips For Easy Preparation

There are several ways to make this spinach artichoke chicken a little bit easier on you, from reducing steps and cleanup, to making some components ahead of time.

For less mess and a one-dish cleanup, wilt the spinach, sear the chicken, and bake the chicken all in a large cast iron skillet or other oven-proof skillet.
If you prefer to skip the searing step, you can to cut down on prep work and dishes. Just place the raw, seasoned chicken breasts directly into the baking dish, top, and bake covered in foil for 20-30 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes.
The spinach artichoke 'dip' can be made up to two days in advance, just store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
You may also assemble the chicken up to one day in advance. Just use the option that skips the searing step, place the chicken in a baking dish, top with spinach artichoke 'dip' and cheese, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook. Remove the pan from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.

Ingredient Substitutions

Use mayonnaise or sour cream in place of Greek yogurt if that's what you have on hand.
Frozen spinach may be used instead of fresh. Make sure to thaw it and squeeze as much of the liquid as possible from it first. You'll need about ½ cup thawed.
While it's not the most ideal, you can also use pre-made spinach artichoke dip in a pinch. Make sure it's very thick and cream cheese-based rather than thin and more dressing based.

What To Serve With Spinach Artichoke Baked Chicken

For a balanced meal, add a starch such as brown rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, or a whole grain baguette (or cauliflower rice if you prefer to keep things lower carb). Or try one of these options:

Add a simple steamed veggie or green salad, or try one of these veggie dishes:

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!

Baked Spinach Artichoke Chicken

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: main dish
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Spinach Artichoke Topping

½ tsp olive oil
3 big handfuls spinach (about 3 packed cups)
½ cup artichoke hearts
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 oz cream cheese (I use Neufchatel cheese)
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the Chicken:

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Garlic powder
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F.

Make the spinach artichoke topping:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
In a food processor, combine spinach with artichoke hearts, yogurt, cream cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Blend until smooth.

Prepare the chicken.

Heat oil over medium heat in the large nonstick skillet you used to cook the spinach. Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides.
Sear chicken in the skillet on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Spread spinach artichoke topping over each chicken breast. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake chicken for 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the cheese is melted and golden.

Notes

If you prefer to skip the searing step and just use raw chicken breasts, season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic and place in a baking dish. Spread the spinach artichoke topping over the chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, then bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes.
To make cleanup easier, you can also cook the spinach, sear the chicken, and bake the chicken all in a large cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet.
The spinach artichoke topping can be made up to two days ahead. You can also assemble the chicken up to 1 day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator if you wish to skip the searing step.

Keywords: spinach artichoke chicken, baked spinach artichoke chicken