Artichoke Chicken

I got my inspiration for this Artichoke Chicken from the Bunny Cookbook (where else???).

But the thing is, I have an issue with this every time I make it.  The original recipe calls for mushrooms and artichokes.  I love both of these things.

But my husband hates artichokes.  I mean, he despises them.  So when I make this for him, I either leave out the artichokes entirely (in which case I can't really call this Artichoke Chicken now, can I?) or I leave them quartered so he can pick them out easily.

And if I make this for my mom, I leave out the mushrooms.  She's not into fungus.

So I came up with my own take on this dish.  The artichokes are in.  Mushrooms are out.  I'll put mushrooms in another dish for another day.

For all of you artichoke lovers out there, this is for you.  It's pretty much deconstructed artichoke-spinach dip, since I serve it with sauteed spinach on the side.

Who doesn't want to eat artichoke dip and call it dinner?

The spinach is only there to assuage my guilt for eating a rich and fattening chicken dish with pasta for dinner.

Start with these things:

Chop the green onions and garlic and saute them in a little bit of butter for just a minute.

And chop the artichokes quarters into thirds.

Just mix everything together...

And pour it into a greased baking dish.

This is ridiculous.  But just bake it.  Or not.  You could pretty much put this on anything and you would love it.  I can say this because I know.

And there you have it.  Dinner.  Or dip.  Whatever you want to call it, it's awesome.

Serve it over orzo to catch all of the sauce.

And put sauteed spinach on the side.  You need some green stuff on your plate.  Plus the flavors are so good together.

Artichoke Chicken
Inspired by Creating a Stir


6 green onions (about 1 small bunch), sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T butter
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (about 2-3 cups chopped chicken)
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
15 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped into thirds
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup chicken stock or white wine
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or Fontina cheese
Cooked orzo pasta, for serving
Sauteed Spinach, for serving

Heat the butter in a skillet and saute the garlic and green onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the chicken, mayonnaise, sour cream, artichoke hearts, lemon juice, chicken stock (or white wine), 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella (or Fontina), and the sauteed green onion/garlic mixture.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8 casserole dish and bake on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbly.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese on the top and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts.

Serve with the orzo and sauteed spinach.