Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake
Spread a cream cheese, spinach, artichoke, and Parmesan mixture over seasoned chicken breasts, top with mozzarella, and bake at 375°F for 35 to 40 minutes. The chicken is done at 165°F and the topping should be bubbly and golden.
Spinach-artichoke dip already has a strong argument for being dinner. This recipe simply puts four chicken breasts underneath it and gives the idea legal standing. Cream cheese, sour cream, spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, mozzarella, and Parmesan form the topping, which bakes over the chicken until the meat is cooked through and the cheese is bubbling and golden.
The spinach needs to be thawed and squeezed dry before mixing. That one unglamorous step keeps the topping creamy instead of watery, because frozen spinach holds a surprising amount of liquid and appears to resent being asked to give it back. Draining the artichokes well helps for the same reason. Once the topping is mixed, spread it evenly over the chicken so every piece is insulated under the creamy mixture rather than leaving thin ends exposed.
Bake at 375°F until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest chicken breast registers 165°F, then rest the dish for five minutes. The finished plate lands somewhere between baked chicken and hot dip, with enough garlic, artichoke tang, and browned cheese to make plain chicken breasts seem considerably more ambitious than they were when they entered the pan.
