Spinach Artichoke Chicken Cottage Cheese (Printable Version)
Creamy baked chicken with spinach, artichokes, and a protein-rich cottage cheese sauce ready in 45 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 1.5 pounds
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 ounces 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 optional
# Directions:
01 - Preheat your oven to 400°F for baking.
02 - Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with kosher salt and black 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, approximately 2 minutes. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 1 minute more.
06 - Combine cottage cheese, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, 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. Spoon sauce over each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
09 - Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and sauce is bubbly.
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 Tips:
01 -
- The cottage cheese creates an incredibly creamy sauce without any heavy cream or complicated roux
- Everything happens in one skillet meaning less cleanup and more flavor
- It delivers that restaurant quality texture with ingredients you probably already have
02 -
- Blending the cottage cheese until absolutely smooth is what transforms it into a silky sauce
- Letting the chicken rest for those 5 minutes keeps it juicy instead of drying out
03 -
- Use an oven-safe skillet that you are confident transfers safely from stovetop to oven
- Invest in an instant-read thermometer to avoid overcooking the chicken