Spinach Artichoke Chicken

Dinner is an important daily rhythm in our home. In our family of four, it is easy to get swept into busyness and distraction, but dinner time is our place to be present to each other and slow down for a moment.

Our typical pre-dinnertime goes a little something like this: I scurry around the kitchen trying to fix dinner with one hand, while carrying Alex, who is going through a maddening phase of crying if she's not being held by me. Meanwhile, Aaron is pestering me, saying things like, "Mo-o-om! I'm hungry now! I want bread!" I respond with "Yes, I know you're hungry. Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes. We're not having bread, we're having chicken." I set Alex down because I need both hands to dish out the food. She starts screaming. Aaron yells, "I don't like Alex crying!" Alex screams louder. My husband emerges from the home office to a bit of chaos. He sets out the wine and glasses, because hey, we parents need it. Finally, when dinner is ready, we all sit down at the table. We thank God, enjoy the food, and share about our day.

With two kids, it sometimes feels like a struggle to make meals that are healthy, simple and delicious. So when I come across an easy-to-make dish that we all enjoy, I know it's a keeper. One hit in our house was this spinach artichoke chicken. It uses simple ingredients, and is akin to spinach artichoke appetizer dip found in many restaurants. It's baked in one dish, with very little prep. I make a big batch of it, and it provides us with several meals for the week.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken (slightly adapted from Add a Pinch)

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olive oil spray
8 chicken breasts
13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking dish with olive oil nonstick baking spray. Place chicken into baking dish. Salt and pepper chicken and then bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and then pour on top of chicken. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.