This spinach artichoke chicken bake is seriously packed with flavor! It’s a mix of diced chicken breast, artichoke hearts, bell pepper, and a creamy lemon-herb sauce that makes the whole dish even better as it cooks in the oven.
I find myself making this spinach artichoke chicken bake ALL the time. The inspiration for this recipe came when I was looking for a way to use up canned artichoke hearts in my pantry. And given how much I love my spinach artichoke dip and chicken broccoli casserole, I decided to meld those together into this tasty new recipe.
But the best part about this chicken bake recipe is how darn easy it is. I’m a big proponent of simple, meal-prep-friendly ideas, and this definitely checks that box. It’s wonderful served for a family dinner over mashed potatoes, rice or lentils, and the leftovers are just as good to enjoy throughout the week.
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake Ingredients
- Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken thighs.
- Artichoke Hearts: To make the process easier, I’m using canned artichoke hearts that are already sliced and quartered.
- Fresh Vegetables: I’m using a combination of red bell pepper, onions, and spinach. If you’re not a fan of spinach, you can swap it for kale, Swiss chard, or another leafy green.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise forms the base of the sauce, keeping this recipe dairy-free if you don’t add the cheese. And while you can use a store-bought version, it’s so easy to make homemade mayonnaise.
- Cheese: This is optional, but adding some freshly grated parmesan into the sauce helps to create a slightly cheesy, and creamy texture. And it’s not an overpowering cream sauce like other chicken casseroles.
- Garlic & Lemon: Just four cloves are needed, but feel free to add one more if you like an extra punch of garlic. As for lemon, you’ll need both lemon zest and lemon juice to give the sauce a bright punch of flavor.
- Dried Herbs: Dried oregano and thyme are the ultimate duo to give the sauce a delicious herby spin.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake
Prep the chicken. First, grab a 9×13-inch baking pan so that everything fits perfectly. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), slice the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces, and place them in a large mixing bowl.
Add the veggies. Chop up bell pepper, onion, and spinach. Then, add them to the bowl with the artichoke hearts and parmesan cheese (if using).
Mix up the sauce. In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Then, pour the sauce on top of the chicken and veggie mix and gently stir everything until it’s well combined.
Time to bake. Place the mixture into an even layer in the casserole pan. Then bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Make sure to give it a taste test, and always feel free to add more salt and pepper if you’d like!
Common Questions
For a light meal, I’ll often eat this on its own or on top of salad greens. For a heartier meal, I’ll serve this over mashed potatoes, rice, or lentils.
There will be liquid that accumulates in the bottom of the pan from the veggies and chicken, that’s normal. But it helps to keep the chicken moist while cooking! Just use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chicken and veggies. And if you’re serving with mashed potatoes, rice or lentils, I love to drizzle those extra juices on top!
Storage Options
Let me emphasize how great of a meal prep recipe this is. It makes six servings, which is perfect for a two-person meal prep. For a family of four or more, bake a second batch to enjoy later in the week or freeze!
- To store for the week: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- To freeze for later: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave a portion for about 2 minutes. You can also add the whole thing back into a casserole pan and reheat in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes.
More Chicken Recipes
I’ve got quite a few options of one-pan recipes listed below to help make weeknight dinners easy. And if you need even more ideas, check out my full list of chicken breast recipes or chicken thigh recipes.
- Chicken Stir Fry
- One Pan Chicken and Rice
- Greek Sheet Pan Chicken
- Balsamic Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
I hope you enjoy this spinach artichoke chicken bake as much as I do! Once you cook this up, let me know your thoughts in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 to 4 chicken breasts)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 (13.5-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained and excess liquid gently squeezed out
- 2 cups (lightly packed) baby spinach, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan (optional)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the chicken. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Dice the veggies. Add the bell pepper, onion, artichoke hearts, spinach, and parmesan cheese (if using) to the mixing bowl on top of the chicken.
- Make the dressing. In a separate small mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Stir it all together. Pour the dressing on top of the chicken and veggies and gently stir until well combined.
- Bake. Place the mixture into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Lisa’s Tips
- Note that liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the pan. That’s normal and expected (and it helps to keep the chicken moist while cooking). Simply use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chicken and veggies. Though if I’m serving this bake on top of rice or lentils, I love to drizzle some of those extra juices on top!
Nutrition
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I wonder if I could do this with shrimp instead of chicken…as my husband is not a fan of chicken breast.
Great recipe,we absolutely loved it and will definitely make it again. The one thing I changed was that I used nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and it was really good. Thank you!
Glad this still turned out great with yogurt instead, Pat!
After reading it had a bit of liquid, I added a can of cream of chicken soup to thicken it. The result was a delicious, slightly thicker sauce! Served it over pasta. Will make again.
Great idea on mitigating the extra liquid in this dish, Susie! Thanks for sharing.
This was absolutely amazing! So simple, but so delish. Served over cauliflower rice.
Glad this spinach artichoke dip was a hit, Shena!
Oh my Gosh!
This was delicious! I have been working hard to find good healthy recipes for my hubby and I, it is our theme of the year…get healthy!
Well this recipe was absolutely delicious! We both loved it!
I only made 4 pcs of chicken because there are only 2 of us and I didn’t want to risk having leftovers of something we might not like. Well…I was disappointed I didn’t make the whole
recipe! I was able to have it for my lunch the next day but I could have eaten it several times over the week it was so good! Thanks Lisa!
Thrilled this chicken bake recipe was a hit, Karen! Definitely make the whole batch next time, you won’t regret it.
Skeptical because I never cook with artichoke…but this is now in our biweekly rotation and I now keep artichokes on hand! Yet another easy, healthy and delicious recipe! We are being fans of downshiftology around here :)
Sometimes, it’s all about finding the right flavor combination to make ingredients shine! Happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Grace.
I made a double batch of this for my teenage daughter this week since she is home for the summer. I did also add fresh broccoli in with the casserole just because I thought it would go well.
It’s Thursday and she has been excitedly eating this all week (and so have I) without complaints. I’m not usually much of a lemon or artichoke person but this recipe is AMAZING , stays moist, and is very full of flavor. It was also very easy to make. Definitely a MOM WIN, one that I will make again for the busy school year! Thanks so much for the recipe Lisa!
Amazing to hear you and your daughter are loving this chicken bake recipe. Enjoy, Wendy!
I was convinced that it was going to be bland. However, I cooked it exactly as the recipe called for and it was delicious! Thank you for a good recipe to add to the collection
Wonderful! Glad it turned out better than you expected, Kristin. Enjoy!
Just made this and LOVED it!! Only change was that I added sun dried tomatoes and reduced the amount of garlic. Wondering if anyone has added white wine?! I think it would be a delicious addition but curious if anyone’s tried it yet?!?
Love the idea of adding sundried tomatoes for this dish, Lisa! I haven’t tried using white wine, but I’m sure that would be a delicious addition.
Anytime I can get my husband to eat spinach, it’s a win! This recipe was so easy and flavorful. The artichokes really take this dish to the next flavor level!
This is a great way to sneak in spinach! Glad you both are loving this recipe, Pam.
Absolutely delicious! Love simple healthy dishes and this one is a keeper especially in the summer heat. I served it over shirataki noodles to keep the calories down and protein high. Next time I may add some portobello mushrooms to see if they balance with the artichokes and spinach.
Can’t beat this for a simple and delicious dinner like this! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tonia.
Fantastic dish. My whole family loved it. Next time I’m going to serve it with rice or orzo, but delicious either way.
Happy to hear the whole family enjoyed this chicken bake, Leslie!
Such a delicious meal! My 1.5-year-old loved it as well. I had to substitute some Greek yogurt for half of the required mayo, opted for chicken thighs, and used one can of artichokes, and it was still incredibly yummy. Thank you for sharing!
I’m glad you both enjoyed it! And it really is quite flexible, so have fun tweaking it.
Loved this recipe. Also loved your homemade mayo recipe! I will never buy mayo again! Other than making the mayo (per your recipe), I made no changes to this recipe. Extra spinach might absorb the extra liquid, but I didn’t mind the extra liquid. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers. Thank you!!
Nothing beats the taste of fresh mayonnaise! I’m glad you enjoyed it in this chicken bake, Lora.
Found out about this recipe when looking for non-traditional chicken recipes. it’s an explosion of flavors to my tastebuds – everything combines so well. I will definitely make it again. My husband thought I had ordered it from a restaurant.
Thrilled to hear you loved this spinach artichoke chicken bake as a new way to cook chicken, Vanessa!
Can I bake it a couple days ahead of time then just pop it in oven 2 days later
Yes, you can do that! Just store it in the fridge in between. Enjoy!
Delicious and makes for a beautiful presentation! I added sundried tomatoes and used marinated artichokes.
What delicious substitutions, Jennifer. Sounds delicious!
I wanted to try this recipe for the longest time, however my husband hates artichoke hearts. We had guests for a few days, and I told my husband to prepare himself because I was making this dish. That there were leftovers if he didn’t want to participate. He graciously tried it, and surprisingly he liked it very much!. It was easy, delicious, and a hit with our guests as well. We all decided that next time we would try adding sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms to the recipe. Looking forward to having it again.
Happy to hear this chicken bake changed his mind about artichokes, Debbie! And glad everyone else enjoyed it too. I’m sure the sun-dried tomato version will be just as delicious.
Could I use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe?
Yes, no problem.
One of my favorite Downshiftology recipes! I’ve previously made it as written and it turned out wonderful. This time, I was out of mayo so I substituted Greek yogurt. I also added feta instead of parmesan. Turned out just as good! Really love a versatile recipe. Thanks, Lisa!
What delicious substitutions, Maria! Glad you enjoyed this chicken bake from the get-go.
This was so so yummy!!! Wondering how long it will last in the fridge or if it freezes well??
Hi Rebekah – yes, this freezes beautifully! It will last for about 4 to 5 days in the freeze or several months in the freezer. Enjoy!
This recipe was over the moon delicious.
Hi Susan – Thrilled to hear you loved this chicken bake recipe, enjoy!
My family loved it. I did add a large tomato cut up small. Used les thyme because I’m not a fan. They loved it. We had it over egg noodles. Delicious
Sounds perfect with the additional tomato slices and egg noodles, Katherine! Glad the whole family loved this meal.
Winner winner chicken dinner! This recipe is one of our favorites. Made it several times, and it always turns out delish. I use frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze out excess liquid. This time I decided to make it ‘dump and bake’ style, layered the chicken and vegs in the dish, drizzle dressing over it all, then toss until everything is coated. No mixing bowl to wash :)
Hi Dianne – Great idea on mixing everything right in the casserole dish to save one less bowl to clean! Happy to hear you’re loving this recipe.
This was really good, and so easy and quick to prepare!
Thank your for the great recipes.
Hi Laura, happy to hear this chicken bake was easy to prep and cook!
Made this casserole last night. Was so delighted my traditional husband loves it. Tonight we think it tastes just as good if not a tad better because flavors have melded together. Wonderful way to use artichokes that I don’t think about often.
I’m happy to hear you both loved it! And yes, canned artichokes are such a great ingredient that needs a little more love, haha. Enjoy!
I usually LOVE all your recipes and cook almost exclusively from this site but this one was awful. How can something be both dry and soggy?… I actually threw it in the trash. I’ll keep loving your recipes but you asked for feedback.
Hi Holly – oh no, I’m sorry you didn’t like this one. That’s definitely not the typical feedback I receive on this recipe. But I understand we all have different flavor preferences. I’m glad you love many of my other recipes!
So good! Whole family liked it! I think if I were to make it again I would add some bacon and a touch of sriracha
Ooh, those sound like tasty additions, John! Enjoy!
Just made this to bring to an injured relative. Smells delicious and easy to make especially if you pre-measure and prepare as much as possible the day before. Had to sneak a small taste and I’ll be making it for myself next week!
Hi Marilyn – You’re so sweet! I hope your relative enjoys this chicken bake as much as you do. Can’t wait to see you make this for yourself now!
This dish was delicious, Lisa! My hubby loved it. Thank you so much for sharing it. Some of the artichoke came out a little tough/chewy. What can I do next time to prevent this?
So happy you both loved it! And unfortunately, I’m not quite sure on the artichoke, as I’ve not had that problem. Maybe I’d try a different brand next time?
Hi Lisa,
This artichoke, spinach, recipe sounds wonderful. We don’t eat dairy so I’m wondering if adding 2 or 3 T of nutritional yeast mixed in with the mayo combo might work for a parmesan cheese substitute?
Greta
Hi Greta – yes, nutritional yeast would be a great alternative for the cheese, to help provide that cheesy flavor. Hope you enjoy it!
OMG, so good.
Family RAVED about it (they were a bit skeptical upon finding out it was a new “pinterest recipe”. It was delicious. We ate the whole thing! Used crusty french bread to soak up the yummy sauce. Have been asked to make it weekly.
Wonderful! I’m happy you and your family loved it, Michelle. I’m also happy it turned out exactly as pictured (and wasn’t a “Pinterest fail” – haha). ;) Enjoy!
I added 1/4 mayonnaise and 1/4 blended cottage cheese. I also added some capers and greek seasoning. It was a hit. Served with wild rice mushroom casserole.
Love all the little tweaks you made to this chicken bake, Justine! I’m sure it tasted amazing with wild rice mushroom as well. Enjoy!
Hi! I commented on Sunday night/early Monday morning and haven’t heard back from you as to whether or not I can freeze leftovers. And, should I cook it before freezing it? I made 2 casseroles and haven’t yet cooked one but want to freeze it and don’t know if I can freeze it before I cook it or if I should freeze it after I cook it. Thank you for your response.
Hi Lisa – It’s best to cook the casseroles before freezing, hope that helps!
I made this for dinner tonight using chicken thighs and served it with long grain and wild rice. It turned out amazing! My husband mentioned three times how much he loved it. Definitely adding it to our regular meal rotation.
Amazing! Happy to hear you found a fried rice recipe you both love, Jamie.
Hi!
This looks amazing.
Wondering if you think it could work with frozen spinach and/or frozen artichokes?
Thanks!!
Hi Alyssa – Yes, that should work. Those veggies might just be a bit softer, though still delicious. Enjoy!
I think I would add some rice or serve over rice.
Most definitely, Linda! This is great served over rice.
I am genuinely obsessed with this recipe. It’s one of my go to weekday favorites and every time my family and I have it, I’m already thinking about when I will make it next. Ha! 10 out of 10!
Hi Tina – Happy to hear you and your family love this chicken bake! It really is such a great weeknight dinner staple.
Would highly suggest making this excellent recipe!! The flavor is so delicious! We tried it for the first time this week, but will definitely be making this one over and over! We substituted skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, which worked great, too!
Hi Mandy – I’m glad this chicken bake turned out great with chicken thighs instead!
Really good! Took longer because I only have a toaster oven but was completely worth it. Served over rice and my husband and I really enjoyed it. Added a little more than a half cup of parm because yummy and hnestly I like artichoke hearts more than most so could almost add a third can but will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Happy to hear you loved this spinach artichoke chicken bake, Jenell!
This was absolutely the best! I snuck in one extra pound of chicken and this recipe still had loads of yummy flavors! An added plus for my husband and I was that all of the ingredients in your recipe are acceptable on the diet we are currently on. Thank you! It really was an excellent dinner.
Amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken bake.
Lisa, this looks delicious and I have all the ingredients BUT peppers upset my stomach. Can you suggest a vegetable substitute? Thanks for your work.🙏
Hi Kristen – you could swap in zucchini or cucumber, but just know that it might turn out a bit more watery (which is fine, but just wanted to let you know). Hope you enjoy it!
This has become a regular meal for us this last year. I always love to make it, and eat it!😊
Hi Angel – So happy you love it! It’s a staple recipe in my house as well. Enjoy!