Cheesy Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Meals like this cheesy chicken artichoke casserole are perfect when you’re trying to stay on track during the week and don’t want to spend all your time cooking! It’s super cheesy, packed full of protein and has a delicious, savory taste from the artichokes… What more could you want? I’m telling you – you won’t even miss the pasta! 🙂

Casseroles (or any kind of “bake” that has more than one serving) are perfect for me because I can spend about 30 minutes at the most putting them together, cooking them, having them for dinner and then I have lunch leftovers for a few days.

The key to reaching your goals or just making healthier and lighter choices during the week is finding dishes that have great macros that still leave you room to enjoy yourself.

For example, my husband Tom and I both really like to have something sweet at night, but some meals that I make can occasionally be a little more calorie dense (especially since I’ve been working on this NEW cookbook!), which doesn’t leave us much to work with after dinner…

So our go-to meals during the week are usually dishes like this cheesy chicken artichoke bake as well as:

• Turkey Burgers
• Boneless Wings
• Chicken Gyros
• Chicken Enchilada Bake
• Italian Bake

…In addition to many more on this site.

Tip: If you pick a few recipes/meals that you like and switch them out every week like we do, just program the meals into your macro calculator (if you use one) or a calorie tracker and that way you’re all set and there’s no guessing! And from switching up your favorite meals during the week you shouldn’t get bored with the foods you’re eating 🙂

This is something we do on a weekly basis and I would absolutely recommend it… especially if you are like me and have sugar cravings or like having a cocktail on a weeknight sometimes! 🙂

Having meals planned out can seem like a daunting task but when you take the time for this you can plan for the things that you love and enjoy (like chocolate!!!).

I don’t feel like you should ever have to cut out the things that you want; it should never be a diet – just a change in lifestyle. 🙂

Cheesy Chicken Artichoke Casserole Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into strips
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce (I used Bertolli Asiago Cheese and Artichoke Sauce)
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped (reserve about 9-12 of them for the top, keeping them whole)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (for topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl mix together cooked and cut chicken, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella, chopped artichokes (excluding the extra ones for the topping) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix until fully incorporated.
3. Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray, pour the chicken/sauce mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
4. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, parmesan and artichokes (cut in half or quartered and dispersed evenly).
5. Cover with foil and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove foil, place back into the oven and turn on broiler.
7. Cook for another few minutes until cheese is slightly crisp and golden.
8. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, scoop portion into a bowl top and serve with more cheese optionally.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of the pan

Calories: 210
Fat: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Sugar: 4 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 366 mg (without added salt)
Protein: 25 g