This Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole is total comfort food. It’s easy to make, packed with protein, brimming with spinach and artichoke hearts and full of flavor.
Cheesy casseroles are always a crowed pleaser.
This grain free, healthy spinach artichoke chicken casserole is just that.
It's packed with protein and tons of vegetables in a delicious creamy, cheesy base. This beautiful complete meal is not lacking in flavor and will have your family asking for seconds.
This casserole is full of wholesome, nourishing, real food ingredients.
So many casseroles are packed with processed ingredients or heavily layered with a mayonnaise base. You won't find either of those in this healthy casserole!
I grew up in the 80's, a time when everything was fat-free this and low-fat that and processed foods were a big deal ... and cheap.
That's what I grew up with. And I get it. I know my mom did the best she could for us, and tight times meant some foods that were cheaper and processed.
She did however make a pretty mean casserole that I loved and it was mostly full of real food ingredients. Yes, it was topped with crumbled up potato chips, but I loved it.
One of my goals with Recipes to Nourish is to help people eat healthier. Sometimes that means learning new information. For example, fat is NOT our enemy.
Here's the deal, traditional foods do not include low-fat or fat-free ingredients that have been stripped of their nutritional value.
Healthy fats like grass-fed butter, ghee, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc. are indeed healthy.
And on that note, I am so happy that one of my favorite brands for cultured dairy, Nancy’s, has a newly released whole milk cottage cheese. High protein, cultured whole milk organic cottage cheese is an option now!
It’s very hard to find quality, authentic, cultured, WHOLE MILK cottage cheese these days. Pretty much everything on the market is fat free, low fat and lacking in live cultures.
So make sure to keep your eyes out for this whole milk version or request it at your local grocery stores.
Nancy's Organic Cultured Whole Milk Cottage Cheese is high in protein! One serving is 14 grams of protein!
And all of that protein goodness goes into this healthy spinach artichoke chicken casserole.
I grew up with Nancy’s yogurt, so it's a brand that I've been using for many, many years.
As a kid I didn’t know much about the history of Nancy’s, I just knew that I liked the tanginess and creaminess of their yogurt. But as an adult, I learned that Nancy’s is an awesome company and so inline with my thoughts on real food and sustainability.
One of my favorite things about this company is that they have been focusing on sustainability and organic practices way before it became popular. I also love that they are family owned and operated in Eugene, Oregon {since 1960}.
I also love that they offer TRUE live probiotic cultured products. Their whole milk cottage cheese has billions of live active probiotic cultures! Isn't that amazing?!
Probiotics are so important for gut-health!
WHERE TO FIND NANCY’S COTTAGE CHEESE
You can find Nancy’s Organic Whole Milk Cottage Cheese and other Nancy’s products at a store near you by entering your city or zip code into their store locator. In Northern California, Nancy’s products can be found at most Raleys and Bel Air Markets, Sprouts Farmers Market, Nugget Markets, Whole Foods Market and many natural foods co-op grocery stores.
Check out these other delicious recipes that I’ve created for Nancy's too: Grain Free Chai Spiced Pear Coffee Cake, High Protein Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie, High Protein Golden Milk Smoothie, Healthy Raspberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt, Healthy Low Carb Cauliflower Breakfast Casserole, Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole, and Healthy Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Strata.
With cooler weather setting in and the holidays upon us, this casserole is sure to please whether it's your family sitting around the table together or guests coming over for a cozy meal.
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
This Healthy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole is total comfort food. It’s easy to make, packed with protein, brimming with spinach and artichoke hearts and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cooked skinless chicken breast, preferably organic, shredded or cubed
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil or melted grass-fed butter or ghee
- ½ cup organic whole milk cottage cheese
- ¾ cup organic sour cream (Nancy's is my favorite sour cream!)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, preferably organic - divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon mineral-rich salt (my favorite salt)
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic granules or garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- 2 cups fresh organic spinach
- 18 oz drained artichoke hearts, halved (drain and discard liquid!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 1 ½ qt. casserole dish with healthy fat of choice and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cooked shredded chicken, healthy fat of choice, cottage cheese and sour cream. Give it a quick stir to combine. Add 1 ½ cups shredded cheese, parsley, sea salt, garlic, thyme, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until fully combined and evenly distributed. Gently fold in the spinach and artichoke hearts just until combined. Pour mixture into the greased casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, or until the cheesy top is lightly golden brown.
- Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Best Chicken to Use: You can use leftover roasted chicken, chicken that has been cooked in an Instant Pot or slow cooker then shredded or chicken that has been boiled. My preference is shredded chicken that has been cooked in an Instant Pot.
- My family loves and uses pasture-raised regenerative chicken from U.S. family run farms, delivered straight to your doorstep, at affordable wholesale prices. Get 20% OFF for Life + Free Shipping for Life + $15 OFF your first box here - no code needed.
DO NOT use marinated or pickled artichokes! This recipe calls for drained artichokes - please make sure to drain them and discard the liquid! I use these whole artichoke hearts.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 9g
This nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Main Dishes and Gluten Free Treats. Come follow along.
MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole {Grain Free Option}
5 Minute Healthy Instant Pot Chocolate Pudding
One Pan Broccoli Cashew Chicken {15 Minute Meal}
Grass-fed Collagen, Desiccated Liver, Coconut Oil, Liver Detox Support, Ancient Minerals + more!
Carol Little R.H.
This dish looks like something my family would love!
Love the ingredients.
Emily, how many artichoke hearts (approximately) for 18 oz?
Can I use the ones that are packed in olive oil in glass jars?
I realize I would need to drain and pat dry.. right?
Any help appreciated. YUM!!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hmm I wish I could remember Carol ... I use these {affiliate link} http://amzn.to/2ggfdfw ... I'm guessing maybe there's 20ish? in there? These are packed in water but I'm sure you could use ones that are packed in olive oil or even marinated. I hope that helps some. 🙂
Melissa Schollaert
I legitimately loathe chicken but will be making this because it looks so amazing Emily!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
LOL oh no! Maybe you make a version without chicken? 🙂
Michele
my mom hates chicken and will eat this!
Kelsey
I'm a sucker for spinach & artichoke dip...so this recipe has me drooling like crazy! Can't wait to try it!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
LOL me too! Isn't that an awesome combo? I hope you get to make some Kelsey! 🙂
Ali
About how many pounds of chicken is 2 chicken breasts?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
The recipe isn't based on pounds, but usually the average package of 2 chicken breasts will be about 1-1 1/2 pounds. 🙂
Anna
Can I freeze this and cook later?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Anna! I've never tried that but it's a great idea! I'm sure it would work just fine. 🙂
Lynn
Do you have the nutrition info for this? Need to know how many carbs per serving. Tx!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Lynn, I don't have nutrition info on my site. I know there are apps online that you can use for that with recipe though. I hope that helps! 🙂
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday!
This looks so comforting and perfect for the chilly weather we're having right now! I love anything baked with cheese, but it's even better when it's actually healthy!
Lola
I never comment on recipes but I had to with this one. It’s so good. I chopped up the artichokes because my husband is not a fan so I hid them in there and he loved it. I omitted the cottage cheese and replaced it with more sour cream. I also added gnocchi to round it out for a more filling dinner so that I didn’t have to make any other sides. My picky 2 year old loved it too which guarantees a spot on our menu. I also added about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan just because I had a lot in my fridge. This is seriously delicious.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Oh my goodness that sounds amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Jamie
Did you cook the gnocchi before putting it in ?
Mikey
Do you have to use the Nancy’s brands or will any other brands work?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Mikey, I highly recommend Nancy's brand, but any quality brand will work. 🙂
Andrea
Could you possibly substitute ricotta cheese for cottage cheese?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
It's possible that you could, I'm not sure what the end result would be, but I bet it would be creamier.
Jen
Can this be frozen after it’s baked?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Jen, I've never tested this recipe to freeze, but I'm assuming it could work.
Nicole
What is the final texture of this like? Is it soft enough to use as a dip if wished? Thank you!
Norma
This is a recipe that results in a very unique and satisfying dish. When I first tried it, it was because it is such an unusual combination of ingredients that intrigued me. Definitely not the "same old, same old"! Have made it as written and also have subbed marinated artichokes, used kale instead of spinach because that's what I had, and used smoked mozzarella because the flavor is so much better than the plain. Thanks for a truly great recipe!
Hayley
This was delicious!! Admittedly, I went with a richer version, rather than your healthy version.....
I added bacon and sautéed onions and 4 cloves of garlic in the bacon drippings w/some olive oil....then I wilted fresh baby spinach (1lb) with the onions and garlic. I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese and used both mozzarella and grated Parmesan.. I also added an egg to the ricotta/sour cream mixture and chopped up the artichokes.
This came out exactly like a spinach artichoke dip, but with meats! I also prepared it early in the afternoon and refrigerated it until it was ready to bake, at which point, I baked it uncovered for about 55min @ 400F.
This will definitely be in the meal rotation here....thank you for the great idea!!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
That sounds delicious!! I know my family would love the bacon addition too. 🙂
Andrea Barr
I e been doing some research- everything I can find says that when you cook cottage cheese, All the cultures are killed so that takes away from a lot of the added benefits of cultured cottage cheese that you mentioned. Any thoughts?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
High heat will destroy the main benefits of probiotics, but it's still important to use a high-quality cottage cheese for best nutritional benefits. 🙂
ashok
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thank you!! 🙂
Lynn
I doubled this recipe today with a bunch of substitutions and it was still fantastic! I cooked the chicken in my instant pot and shredded it the day before and used a 9x13 pan.
Here are the substitutions I made: I used a mixture of sour cream and greek yogurt (5%). I used frozen spinach (next time I'd drain this better before adding). I used a mix of mozzarella and pepper jack cheese. I used a mix of artichoke hearts and hearts of palm (which are lower carb and nearly identical in taste, who knew!).
Next time I think I'd omit the lemon since I found the end result a little too lemon-y (and I LOVE lemon). Could have been because of my substitutions.
I'd suggest that in the recipe you might want to specify the weight of the cans/jars of artichoke hearts since it's hard to know if the 18oz refers to the can weight (there are no 18oz cans that I can find) or the weight after draining. And it's hard to estimate what size jar you'd need to buy to result in 18oz drained.
Thanks for a great recipe that could withstand all the substitutions I threw at it!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
That's great to hear that doubling it turned out so well! 🙂 I use the Native Forest brand whole artichoke hearts that come in a glass jar - you definitely only want to use the artichoke hearts and not the liquid. Thanks for the tips, I'll try to make some edit notes about that.
Anna
How big should the chicken breasts be?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
I don't have the exact weight - you would use the average chicken breast pack from a store, those packs that usually come with 2 chicken breasts usually weight about 1.5-1.75 pounds per pack.
Sarah
Hi! I am excited to try this recipe. Do you by chance know how much a serving size is? Thank you!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Sarah, I don't know the actual serving size - there is general nutritional info in the recipe card though.
Ann Pitsinger
I added a.can of water chestnuts that I chopped. Used Italian blend of shredded cheese. Added some onion powder.
Really good recipe that I will be making again. Great way to use roasted chicken and extra spinach I had on hand.
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Happy to hear that! 🙂
Crystal
Thank you for the recipe! I love spinach artichoke anything so to find a healthy recipe is a big plus!! I'm a little thrown off by the serving size though. If the casserole is only in a 1 1/2 qt baking dish, that is supposed to serve 8-12 people? Maybe this is why I'm technically "overweight" LOL! Is this intended to be served as a side dish?
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Crystal, the 1 1/2 qt deep dish is basically like a 9x13 casserole dish. The nutritional info is auto-generated and not necessarily fully accurate - and the servings sizes is a rough average. My family can usually get about 8 servings out of this. If you have smaller portions, you can stretch this to make 12 servings, but you would portly want to serve it with a side dish. Hope that helps 🙂
Samie Hartley
Definitely drain the brine from the artichokes, otherwise there's waaaaaay too much liquid. Cut the lemon zest and juice in half as well if you don't like savory citrus combinations. Also....why tf isn't there a skip to recipe button???
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Hi Samie - yes, please drain the liquid, that should not be added in the recipe. If lemon isn't your thing, then by all means don't use it. Not all blogs use the "jump to recipe" button - there's purpose behind this. I lose income if I use the plugin button - I hope you can understand and appreciate that this is my job and how I support my family. I don't make upwards of $5k a month or more like most of the blogs that use the "jump to recipe" feature and I cannot afford to take that financial hit. I hope you can understand that bloggers, including myself, don't do this to frustrate anyone - it takes about 2 seconds to scroll down which is around the same amount of time that it takes for the "jump to recipe" plugin button to work. Thanks for understanding and I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Liz
Very delicious! Added chopped green onions because I had leftovers on hand. Didn't have thyme so used Italian seasoning and it was a great substitute.
Emily Vidaurri
That sounds like a great substitute! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it.
Samantha
I was curious what your thoughts would be on swapping out the chicken for salmon? I wouldn't want it to become too dried out.
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Samantha, I think that might be a hard one to swap out. Salmon usually doesn't have the same cook time as chicken - and I haven't tested it that way, so I really don't know. It sounds like a delicious combo though, I love salmon.
Alicia
I made mine dairy free by using dairy free cream cheese to substitute the ricotta, dairy free mozza shreds and used a bit of mayo instead of sour cream as I didn't have any on hand. I loved it!
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Alicia, that's great to hear that it subbed well with the dairy-free substitutes! So happy you love it. 🙂
Nichole
I added sautéed onion, mushroom and spinach to mine. And added extra garlic. Was definitely a winner. I also cooked at 400 degrees. Thank you for this new family favorite.
Emily Vidaurri
That sounds delicious with those additions! So glad you enjoyed it. ?
Jennifer
This is Soooooo good! One of my favorites. We aren’t KETO though, and we have found it to be even more DELICIOUS over a bed of rice! Best recipe ever.
Emily Vidaurri
Oh my goodness, that is one of the kindest comments ever - thank YOU for sharing that with me. ? I'm so thrilled that you enjoy it. ? We're not Keto either, I bet it's delicious served with rice.
Ann Blackman
Hi,! We absolutely loved this dish, however mine had quite a bit of liquid on the bottom. I drained the artichokes and used only 1/2 a small lemon. Any thoughts on what I went wrong? Or is there usually liquid at the bottom after it’s cooked? -Ann
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Ann, there shouldn't be a lot of liquid at the bottom after it's cooked. I wish I knew for sure, my best guess is it's extra moisture content from the veggies. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed it though ?
Heather
Made this a while back and love it !!!! I want to pre make for this week… do you think putting it all together and leaving in fridge overnight before a king would be a bad idea ?
Thanks.
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Heather, I'm so happy to hear that you love it! ? I have never prepped it first and chilled it overnight - it's possible that I could work but I can't say for sure. There's a possibility that it might develop more water content if prepped and left in the fridge. If you try it, I'd love to hear if that works out.
Linda
This was really delicious! I air-fried the chicken breasts beforehand ( non breaded), added a sautéed onion and fresh garlic, and a bit less lemon as others have suggested. Also used a mixture of 1/2 t thyme and1/2 t oregano and a 14 oz can of artichokes because that’s what I had on hand. I used slightly less spinach based on preference and subbed frozen for fresh. I added some shredded Parmesan cheese to the top along with the remaining mozzarella. I was a little confused about what size baking dish to use since a 9x13 is actually 3 quarts, not 1.5. The casserole best fits in the 9x13 and is too large for a 2.2 quart which is a 8x11. There’s no way it would fit in a 1.5 quart.
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing - I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. I used a 1.5 quart casserole dish for this - there is one by CorningWare linked in the recipe card. They make a standard round and oval 1.5 qt. casserole baking dish that works great for casseroles.
Debi
I can’t wait to try this! Any thoughts on using frozen artichoke hearts and rotisserie chicken?
Emily Vidaurri
I think rotisserie chicken could work great! I'm not sure on the frozen artichokes because of the extra water content from freezing. You could try thawing the frozen artichokes and drain any extra liquid. I hope you get to enjoy some. ?
Lena
Emily, we love this recipe! Can you tell me what you serve with it? And, any thoughts on how to make it look prettier on the plate? Thanks so much!
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Lena, so happy to hear you enjoy it! It really pairs well with any sides - a salad, roasted veggies, steamed rice, etc. If your family enjoys gluten-free pasta or regular pasta, it makes a nice side too. Casseroles are sometimes one of those harder foods to make pretty on the plate ? - you could add a garnish like flat leaf parsley or lemon wedge. Hope that helps!
Jessica
This was great! I love the cottage cheese option. So much healthier than other versions I wanted to try! I added some green chili for heat! Delish!
Emily Vidaurri
Hi Jessica, I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it. 😊 The green chilis sound like a wonderful addition!
Alexandria Garcia
Loved this recipe, but it ate more like a dip. Any recommendations on how to make it feel complete while still being healthy?