Spinach Artichoke Chicken with Cottage Cheese (Printer-friendly)
Tender chicken baked with spinach, artichokes, and a creamy cottage cheese sauce. High protein, ready in 45 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
02 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
→ Spinach & Artichoke Mixture
05 - 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
→ Sauce
09 - 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
10 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
11 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
14 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
# Directions:
01 - Preheat your oven to 400°F.
02 - Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sear for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, add chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Add chopped spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 1 minute more.
06 - Combine cottage cheese, chicken broth, Parmesan, half the mozzarella, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth.
07 - Pour the blended sauce into the skillet with the spinach-artichoke mixture. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
08 - Nestle the seared chicken breasts into the sauce, spooning some sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
09 - Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and sauce is bubbling.
10 - Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with extra Parmesan or fresh herbs if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Forty five grams of protein per serving but tastes like comfort food, not a gym meal
- The cottage cheese sauce trick works for everything from pasta to baked vegetables
02 -
- Blending the cottage cheese eliminates any lumpy texture and creates something that tastes surprisingly like a creamy alfredo
- The chicken keeps cooking in the oven, so dont worry about finishing it completely in the skillet
03 -
- Use an immersion blender directly in the sauce if you want to save on dishes
- Grating your own Parmesan makes the sauce taste noticeably more expensive