Just like your favorite decadent spinach and artichoke dip, this cheesy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole is rich, creamy, and full of garlicky flavor! With three different types of cheese, pasta, chicken, artichoke hearts, fresh spinach, Alfredo sauce, and a buttery Parmesan breadcrumb topping, this dish is an easy dinner that tastes like a special restaurant meal. Serve the casserole with a simple green salad and a side of garlic bread for the ultimate family supper!
Chicken Spinach Artichoke Casserole
Casseroles are just so darn convenient, since they're basically an entire meal in one dish. We're always looking for new twists on the classic, and this chicken spinach artichoke casserole definitely has us excited for dinner again! I just took the flavors and ingredients from a traditional spinach artichoke dip and turned them into a main course entrée by adding some chicken and pasta. Let's be honest: we all just want to eat that dip for our main course anyway, and now we can!
With three different types of cheese (cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese), plus a jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce, and two cans of artichoke hearts, this easy dinner is packed with so much flavor. Plus, it includes the delicious texture of the buttery, crunchy, breadcrumb topping, as well as the beautiful green color of fresh baby spinach leaves. The casserole is rich, creamy, and cheesy, but perfectly balanced with bright lemon juice and a touch of acidic red wine vinegar. Finish it off with fresh herbs and spicy crushed red pepper flakes for a simple-yet-decadent weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a chicken spinach and artichoke casserole. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Pasta: I use penne pasta in this dish, but any similar short pasta shape will work. Try rotini, farfalle, elbow macaroni, orzo, or even rigatoni.
- Alfredo sauce: purchase a jar of Alfredo sauce for a shortcut, or make your favorite homemade version.
- Cream cheese: a block of regular or low-fat cream cheese will work great here. It adds such a thick, rich, creamy texture to the casserole -- very reminiscent of the classic spinach and artichoke dip that you find in restaurants!
- Garlic: for great savory flavor.
- Red wine vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice: these acidic ingredients brighten up the dish and balance the richness of the creamy sauce.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhance the other flavors in the casserole.
- Chicken: you'll need about 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken. I use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for great flavor and quick-prep, or leftovers when I have them available, but you can boil your own chicken to use in this recipe, too.
- Canned quartered artichoke hearts: not the marinated variety. This is the brand that I use.
- Baby spinach: two big cups of fresh spinach leaves will wilt nicely in the hot casserole -- no pre-cooking necessary. You can substitute with some thawed, drained, frozen chopped spinach if you like.
- Mozzarella cheese: for that great Italian flavor and melty, cheesy texture.
- Seasoned panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter: combine to create the bread crumb topping for your casserole.
How to Cook Chicken for a Casserole
While it's possible to cook a casserole with raw chicken, you'll need cooked chicken for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:
- Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs until cooked through (about 15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken. You'll need a total of about 2 cups shredded. I find that 1 lb. of chicken breasts yields about 2 cups of pulled chicken, but there's some flexibility here -- it doesn't need to be exact.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed.
- Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal, put those extras to good use in this casserole. When I photographed this recipe, I actually used leftover grilled chicken from this recipe (so flavorful!).
- Canned Chicken: Yep, even canned chicken from the pantry will work in this recipe.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Stir everything together and pop it in the oven! This hearty, satisfying casserole is a great make-ahead option for entertaining friends or for busy weeknight dinners.
- Boil the noodles according to the package instructions, then drain them in a colander.
- Whisk together the Alfredo sauce, cream cheese, garlic, vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a large bowl until combined.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, chicken, artichokes, and spinach.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Stir together the breadcrumb topping, then sprinkle it over the casserole.
- Bake in a 400°F oven just until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Tent the dish loosely with foil about halfway through the baking time to prevent the top from getting too dark.
- Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and chopped fresh herbs, if desired. Serve immediately!
What to Serve with Chicken Casserole
This hearty casserole is an entire meal on its own, since it includes the noodles, chicken, and spinach. If you'd like to offer some additional sides, here are a handful of easy ideas:
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad or House Salad with Candied Pecans
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
- Skillet Cornbread, Honey Cornbread, Corn Sticks, Mexican Cornbread or Corn Muffins
- Garlic Bread, Homemade Focaccia, or Breadsticks
- Crusty French Baguette, No-Knead One-Hour Dinner Rolls, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins or Pumpkin Bread
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables
- Southern Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
- Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus, Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus, or Sauteed Asparagus
- Sauteed Zucchini
- 3-Ingredient Parmesan Roasted Yellow Squash
- Brown Sugar Roasted Acorn Squash
- 5-Ingredient Easy Cranberry Salad
- 3-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, Roasted Green Beans, or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
Make Ahead
This is a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. When ready to cook, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before it goes into the oven. If the inside of the casserole is still cold when it's time to bake, just add a few extra minutes to the total cooking time.
Storage
- Leftover chicken casserole will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- I do not recommend freezing these leftovers. Creamy sauces have a tendency to "break" or separate when thawed, giving the dish an undesirable texture.
- To reheat the casserole: If reheating an entire casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 15-20 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Add extra veggies like frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, cauliflower rice, or parboiled broccoli or green beans. You can also saute zucchini or onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add it to the casserole.
- Use frozen chopped spinach that's thawed and squeezed dry in lieu of the fresh baby spinach.
- If you don't have fresh garlic, you can substitute with a little bit of garlic powder.
- Stir some additional herbs or other seasonings into the sauce. Try dried or fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives, or basil.
- Add a spoonful of mayo or sour cream to the sauce for even more flavor.
- Make it vegetarian by swapping out the chicken and replacing it with extra pasta.
- To serve a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish. You may need to increase the total baking time by 5-10 minutes to account for the larger pan.
Tips for the Best Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole Recipe
- Remember to soften the cream cheese at room temperature (or in the microwave in short increments) so that it combines more easily with the rest of the ingredients.
- Zest the lemon before slicing and squeezing the juice. Be careful that you only grate off the outer layer of the peel (where all of the flavorful essential oils are found) -- not the bitter white pith underneath.
- Use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- If you prefer to cook your chicken at home, use about 1 lb. of raw boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs. Boil the chicken for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, chop or shred with forks and use in the recipe.
- Since all of the ingredients are already cooked before the dish goes into the oven, you only need to bake the casserole until it's heated through. Do not overcook the dish or the pasta will become overdone and mushy.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes to Try
- Cool Ranch Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Shortcut Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Casserole
- 4-Ingredient Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Hot Chicken Salad
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dry penne pasta
- 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (about 1 ¾ cups total)
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken for this step)
- 2 (14 ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes; chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish (such as 11 x 7-inch or deep 8-inch or 9-inch square); set aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
- In a large bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, cream cheese, garlic, vinegar, lemon zest and lemon juice, pepper, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt until combined. Stir in the cooked pasta, chicken, artichokes, and spinach.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- In a small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and heated through, about 15 minutes. Cover the casserole loosely with foil about halfway through the baking time if the topping is starting to get too dark.
- Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and chopped fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Remember to soften the cream cheese at room temperature (or in the microwave in short increments) so that it combines more easily with the rest of the ingredients.
- Zest the lemon before slicing and squeezing the juice. Be careful that you only grate off the outer layer of the peel (where all of the flavorful essential oils are found) -- not the bitter white pith underneath.
- Use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- If you prefer to cook your chicken at home, use about 1 lb. of raw boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs. Boil the chicken for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, chop or shred with forks and use in the recipe.
- Since all of the ingredients are already cooked before the dish goes into the oven, you only need to bake the casserole until it's heated through. Do not overcook the dish or the pasta will become overdone and mushy.
- Add extra veggies like frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables, sauteed onion or zucchini, or parboiled broccoli or green beans.
- Use frozen chopped spinach that's thawed and squeezed dry in lieu of the fresh baby spinach.
- Stir some additional herbs or other seasonings into the sauce. Try dried or fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives, or basil.
- Make it vegetarian by swapping out the chicken and replacing it with extra pasta.
- To serve a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish. You may need to increase the total baking time by 5-10 minutes to account for the larger dish.
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