Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole 

I'm pretty sure when I say that artichoke dip is one of my favorite things most of you will agree and relate. So throwing in a whole bunch of spinach and chicken and calling it dinner was never going to be a bad idea.

But, there are a few important difference here between your standard creamy dip and this delicious meal:

• Instead of cream cheese, this casserole uses a béchamel sauce for maximum creaminess while keeping it on the lighter side.
• There's a LOT of spinach in there. Spinach contains so much water that it cooks down substantially and that means we can add a full 16 ounces in there.
• Using pre-cooked chicken makes this casserole reasonably quick and easy. This is not the type of dish you can throw together in a few minutes but when you have about 45 minutes to spend on dinner (plus baking time), this is your recipe.

Step by step photos and instructions

The first step to this creamy casserole is to make a simple béchamel sauce. Here's how to do that:

Add some butter to a saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add a bit of flour then use a whisk to stir while the butter and flour cook for a minute or so.

Very slowly, pour in some milk. Adding the milk slowly while you whisk will prevent it from getting lumpy.

Add some red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, until it's thickened and doesn't taste like raw flour.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in some grated parmesan.

Taste the sauce, add more salt and pepper if you like, cover the saucepan, and set it aside while you prepare the other ingredients:

Add the spinach to a large saucepan one handful at a time, letting each handful completely wilt before adding the next. Add some crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the spinach has evaporated.

Add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice and a can of quartered artichoke hearts and cook for a couple of minutes to soften the flavor of the artichokes.

Add the béchamel sauce along with some mustard and mozzarella cheese. Stir everything around until all the cheese has melted.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper if if you like then stir in the chicken.

Spread the mixture into a square baking dish and sprinkle with some more mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Mix some panko bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle that over the top of the casserole.

Time to bake!

Bake the casserole until the topping is golden brown and it's all bubbly around the edges of the pan. It's a good idea to let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This will help everything settle and firm up, and cool down slightly into something you can dig into.

What's the best kind of chicken to use in this casserole?

I mean, the short answer is any kind you like as long as it's cooked. Pick up a rotisserie chicken or some pre-packaged cooked chicken at your local supermarket to go the super easy and convenient route.

This is also the perfect way to use up leftover chicken.

Or, just cook some raw chicken. This super easy method for poached chicken is my go-to for chicken casserole, chicken soup, or anything else that starts with cooked chicken, like these lettuce wraps.

Poaching chicken only takes a few minutes and allows you to season the meat while it cooks.

Additions and substitutions

Casseroles and soups are the kind of thing you can toss anything into (with reason) and it's probably going to be good. In this casserole, you might add:

• sun dried tomatoes
• roasted red peppers
• olives
• green chilies
• crispy bacon
• corn
• sautéed mushrooms

You could also swap out the chicken for any other kind of cooked meat that sounds good to you. Same goes for the cheese.

For example, create a south-of-the-border inspired meal with pork carnitas instead of chicken and cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack instead of mozzarella, and cotija instead of parmesan.

What to serve with spinach, artichoke, and chicken casserole

We like to eat this with nothing else but thick slices of toasted bread, preferably sourdough.

But, if you'd like to add some more veggies to the meal, try it with some quick sautéed veggies or an Israeli salad (the salad that goes with everything).

Instead of toasted bread, try it with honey cornbread muffins or flaky buttermilk biscuits.

And to end the meal with something sweet, I'd suggest one of these easy, casual, comforting desserts:

• Berry cobbler: This cobbler takes about 10 minutes to throw together, can be made with fresh or frozen berries, and includes a buttery, chewy, sugar cookie topping that is positively divine.
• Denver chocolate sheet cake: This is a ridiculously easy cake to make, with a gorgeous milk chocolate flavor, and the kind of moist, fudgy texture we all want in a chocolate cake.
• Chocolate chip pecan cookies: These cookies are for those of us who are serious about wanting a cookie we can wrap both hands around and dig into with abandon. One of the best things about these cookies is that you can form them into cookie dough balls, pop them in the freezer, and then bake them straight from frozen whenever the craving strikes.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!