Spinach Artichoke Chicken

For Meliska's baby shower, I made some spinach artichoke dip.  I made a lot of spinach artichoke dip, actually, and it was almost all gone.  Apparently, it was a big hit and I was pretty bold and daring to serve it considering I fooled around with a new recipe.  I thought it might be yummy to incorporate the dip into a meal.

Here's the recipe for the dip:

2 tubs of chive whipped cream cheese
1 individual serving size of plain Greek yogurt
1 can of artichoke hearts - diced up
1 "family size" bag of chopped spinach
1 small lemon (juiced)
2-3 TBSP of basil pesto (I used Classico brand)
7 oz of Italian cheese mix (I used a Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Fontina blend)
Salt & Pepper to taste

You put it in the oven on 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes and serve it with tortilla chips or crackers.

Now to make a meal of it, I lightened it up a bit and downsized it by halving the recipe (except the artichokes) and using 2% cheese.  You can use the light chive cream cheese, but I have found that the whipped is easier to work with.  You can also use reduced fat sour cream or low fat mayo in place of the Greek yogurt, but I like the nutritional benefits provided by Greek yogurt.

Okay, so first I rinsed and trimmed my chicken.  Then I seasoned them up with some rock salt and garlic powder and put them in my trusty Pampered Chef dish.

Next I added the thawed out and squeezed dry chopped spinach (I'm sure you could use fresh if you like).  I seasoned the spinach with some lemon juice and some more rock salt and garlic powder.

In a separate container, I had mixed together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, pesto, diced up artichoke hearts, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  I folded in the Italian cheese, then put this mixture on top of the spinach.

I then baked the casserole dish on 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

(excuse the lack of flash in this pic)

Delicious!

South Beach Phase 1ers - serve it over baked spaghetti squash or with a side salad.

South Beach Phase 2ers - serve it over whole wheat pasta or with a side of brown rice.

Experimented with any new recipes lately??