High-Protein Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
This High-Protein Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Casserole elevates your favorite dip into a meal that's as nourishing as it is delicious. With 47 grams of protein per serving, this dish is ideal for keeping you full and fueled. The secret is to add chicken breast and blended cottage cheese to boost the protein while keeping that same, indulgent spinach artichoke flavor and experience.
Equipment
- dish towel or cheesecloth
- large pan
- spatula
- aluminum foil
- 9x13" or 9x9" baking dish
Ingredients
- 16 oz cottage cheese (4% preferred)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- ½ cup low-moisture, part skim, finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅔ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 can artichoke hearts (16oz), drained
- 6 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Optional but encouraged: If time allows, heavily season the cubed chicken breast with kosher salt and let it sit at room temperature for 20+ minutes, or while you prepare the remaining ingredients. This acts as a "dry brine" to yield moist & flavorful chicken!1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, kosher salt
- Place your artichoke hearts into a thin dish towel, cheesecloth or paper towel and squeeze out all the excess liquid. It's okay if the artichokes get a bit smushed in the process! Then, finely chop them up and set aside.1 can artichoke hearts
- Use the same dish towel to then squeeze out all the excess liquid from the thawed spinach. Don't skip this step!6 oz frozen chopped spinach
- Bring a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add the oil. Then, add the cubed chicken and spread it out in the pan so that there's no overlap. Season with black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes, until mostly done through. Remove chicken from the pan, draining off any excess grease/liquid, and set aside.1 tsp avocado oil, black pepper
- In a small food processor, add the cottage cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and onion powder. Blend until smooth.16 oz cottage cheese, 2 garlic cloves, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp onion powder
- To your baking dish add the cooked chicken, spinach, artichokes, blended cottage cheese and about ⅔ of the mozzarella and parmesan (reserving the rest for topping). Stir with a spatula until combined and then spread out evenly in the baking dish.½ cup low-moisture, part skim, finely shredded mozzarella cheese, ⅔ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Cover the baking dish with foil and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan evenly over top, and transfer back to the oven to bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. I like to switch to broil for a few minutes at the end to get a golden, bubbly crust. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1620mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5410IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 404mg | Iron: 1mg