This last weekend I had the pure joy and honor of attending the bachelorette party of one of my very bestest friends in the entire world. In a time where I needed it the most, I was surrounded by incredible women- friends old and new- and the world’s most stunning bride-to-be. It was easily one of the best weekends ever. But, I have to be honest, Austin did my body a little dirty.
As someone who vowed to take better care of her body in 2022, I relied on the poetry of a Mr. Aubrey Drake Graham and decided that while in Texas, “You only live once, that’s the motto, baby.” So, I did indeed, eat TexMex and drink margaritas as if I were living on the edge. And while I have no regrets, my swollen body needed something hearty, nourishing, and healthy. Of course, I couldn’t get around to cooking for nearly two days after my return home- hangovers certainly get worse the closer you get to 30! When I finally go the gumption, I found Spinach and Artichoke Chicken and I put lots of my own spin on it.
The original recipe was paleo, so while I structured it loosely the same, I am working really hard on limiting what foods I restrict for myself. It’s a proven fact that if you can’t have it, you want it more. So, this one had cheese and dairy because the heart wants what it wants.
My two favorite things about this recipe is that the sauce truly makes it. The spinach turns a less than perfect green after so much cooking time, but its taste is something that Popeye would be proud of. Mix that with its most true love match: artichokes, and add some goat cheese melted in and you could eat it by the spoonful. I also love that it can be made in a cast-iron skillet, so the entire meal from searing the chicken to finishing the sauce is all a one-stop-shop.
Spinach and Artichoke Chicken with Goat Cheese
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs (they can be skinless, but I think leaving the skin while it cooks is great for flavor. I never actually eat the skin because everyone knows it only tastes good when it’s super salty and deep fried)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- garlic powder
- lemon pepper (though it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t have it, you can always add some lemon zest to the sauce later)
- 2 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1/2 large white onion, sliced into thin half moons
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 10 oz. bag of spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chicken or veggie stock
- pinch of red chili pepper flakes (optional)
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup of half and half (can sub in coconut milk, cream, or regular milk)
- 3 oz. goat cheese, plus more for topping
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
Place your skillet over medium-high heat until hot, add butter or ghee until completely melted. While waiting for things to heat up, pat your chicken dry with a paper towel (do not rinse it!) and season each side generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon pepper. Once the butter/ghee is melted completely, add your seasoned chicken thighs and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, working in batches if you have to because overcrowding the pan is a sin. You want those puppies to sizzle and have a little bit of color, but they should look nowhere near cooked.
Remove chicken from the pan, and add slightly more butter/ghee if you need to. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add your minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds (seriously, garlic never needs as much time to cook as you think!). If there are brown bits at the bottom, add a splash of your chicken/veggie stock and let it sizzle on the pan for a few seconds, then scrape up the brown bits and stir them around.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted and there’s more space in the pan. You may have to also add the spinach in batches. Add your artichoke hearts and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken/veggie stock over your veggies, season again with salt and pepper and red chili flakes. Add your lemon juice and nestle the chicken thighs back onto the pan. This time, a little crowding is ok as the thighs will be entirely immersed in the hot oven.
Cook the chicken for 22-25 minutes, until golden brown on top. Those babies should be crispy! Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a burner at medium heat, and stir everything remaining in the pan. Add the dairy of your choosing and the goat cheese, stir and then let simmer until all of the cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and let it all reheat for a minute or two. Sprinkle with goat cheese, additional red chili flakes if desired, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Eat that up!
