No Fuss Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken combines the best version of classic flavors and rolls it into a light, quick, easy to follow recipe. You are only 30 minutes away from enjoying a golden, baked spinach artichoke chicken dish your whole family is guaranteed to love!
When a mother goes out in public with young kids they inevitably invite stranger banter. Let me assure you, I love myself some stranger banter. Big fan. Quite often it’s the only adult conversation I take part in for ten consecutive hours.
A particular style of stranger banter really gets my goat, though. Allow me to paint a scene.
Me, grocery shopping, pushing a fidgety 3 year old who’s over it. After efficiently polishing off a “shopping-with-Mama-snack” bag, he’s scoping out other forms of self-entertainment. He settles on some tempting, unattainable produce. He begins to strain against a flimsy cart buckle in hopes of grabbing a handful of grapes.
Me: “Elliot, sit down. You’re going to fall out of the cart.”
Elliot pauses briefly to digest this tidbit, about as much as I might attempt to digest quantum physics. He makes bolder, riskier grab for the grapes.
Me: “Elliot, sit down! I’ll get you a grape.” (*Sidebar* Yes, I feed my kids unbought, unwashed grapes while I’m shopping. Buys me 30 seconds and they get to witness their ballsy mom taking a walk on the wild side.)
I walk away from the cart to swipe him some dirty grapes.
Older Stranger Lady, leisurely pushing an unoccupied cart, speaking a touch too loudly: “Oh, Honey! You better be careful! You’re going to fall out.”
Not biting, I cooly glance at her and push my cart away. No stranger banter is exchanged.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stand down, Woman! Clearly you wished to say, “For the love of God, Lady! Get a grip on your child! You are evidently incompetent and blatantly negligent of your child’s safety.”
Who wouldn’t take offense to this?! Don’t disguise your self-righteous parenting advice with concern for my child’s well being.
Ugly cynicism aside, I’m not a parent who overly concerns myself preventative-injury-maintenance. I am firmly in the kids-are-extremely-resilient camp. Truth be told, a little injury jogs the memory more advantageously than relaying 6,000 times they will get hurt.
So yes, Stranger Lady, of course I knew he could fall out of the cart when I turned away. But I’ve also witnessed my 3 year old tumble five feet off a playhouse roof, cry for 18 seconds, and then run off. Sometimes, for the greater good of getting dinner on the table, you just have to roll the die.
Ten hours or not, I’m never that desperate for stranger banter.
RELATED RECIPES:
Healthy Tortilla Crusted Buffalo Chicken – Gluten Free chicken recipe coated in crunchy crushed tortilla chips, baked with creamy buffalo topping, and smothered with cheddar cheese.
Cranberry Apple Skillet Pork Medallions – Sautéed pork tenderloin medallions with apples, cranberries, and a light dijon sauce makes a comforting, easy weeknight dinner.
Cranberry Dijon Pretzel Chicken – Pretzel-crusted baked chicken with bacon, cranberries, and honey dijon rolled inside. Huge family favorite!
No Fuss Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts butterflied with a deep slit
- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 14 oz. canned artichokes chopped
- 4 ounces light cream cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan grated
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- garlic salt
- Italian seasoning
- paprika
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
In a large nonstick skillet heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add about half of spinach, salt, and pepper. Stir until spinach is wilted and then add second half of spinach. Stir until all spinach is wilted.
Reduce heat to low and add artichokes and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese melts, everything is smooth, and mixed throughly. Remove from heat and stir in both cheeses. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Lay butterflied chicken breasts, open, cut side down (like an open book turned over on a table). On the top of each chicken breast drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and paprika. Use your hands to spread olive oil and seasonings evenly over the entire top of chicken breasts.
Flip chicken over and evenly divide spinach / artichoke mixture on one cut side. Close over the other half (like a closing a book), and bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts, or until chicken reaches a temperature of 160ºF.
Hello fellow food lovers! I am a wife and mother of four who obsesses and contemplates food probably way too much. I refuse to eat mac and cheese and chicken nuggets every night until all my kids have flown the nest, so this is how a foodie feeds a family...
This looks amazing! What would you suggest serving with it on the side?
Thank you! I usually do some sort of roasted potatoes (there’s a couple of my favorite recipes on my site if you search “roasted potatoes) and an easy vegetable, like steamed corn. Buttered noodles or a rice dish would go with it as well. Enjoy!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it. Best, Melissa
Made this last night! It was super yummy!!
That’s great! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it 🙂