This spinach and artichokes chicken thighs dish is definitely going to reach the list of your top chicken recipes. These amazing oven baked chicken thighs make a delicious and rich in flavour complete meal. In addition, this dish is also paleo, which makes it a perfect choice when trying to have some light meals on the weekly menu.
When it comes to chicken, I decided on chicken thighs. Everyone says they are too fat and there’s to much skin on them. Whatever, I love those. The skin becomes something irresistible when crispy and golden brown. And the chicken thighs have much more flavour than chicken breast or wings.
Moreover, usually, they are more convenient as well and most importantly they are juicy. When you find them already boneless, that’s a must buy. Combine them with spinach and artichokes and you’ll get your new favourite and maybe regular midweek dish. Wink.
The artichokes will add some wonderful flavour to this dish. You can use either artichoke hearts or the “wedges”. They are both available in jars in every supermarket.
Of course, you can also buy fresh ones and then use the artichoke hearts. Anyway, I used the so-called wedges (well, I call them like that hehehe). Beside artichokes, spinach is a wonderful addition to your everyday dishes. Also, check out this beautiful spinach braid to get inspired.
One more thing before you start to cook. This dish goes from the stove to the oven. If you have an oven-proof pan, this is a perfect occasion to use it. Or, just like I did, use a normal pan and then transfer it to a baking dish.
Ingredients for about 4 portions of spinach and artichokes chicken thighs:
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil (or coconut oil)
- 6-8 chicken thighs (boneless)
- 2 red onions (sliced)
- 2 carrots (cut)
- 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 3-4 handfuls of spinach (fresh)
- 250 ml of vegetable stock
- salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 210º C. In a non-sticking pan, drizzle some olive oil or use some coconut oil. Once it gets hot, add the chicken thighs and brown for 5 minutes on each side.
In the meantime, wash the spinach. Be careful to wash off every little grain of sand or dirt. The feeling of the sand between your teeth is just horrible! Then, slice the garlic and onions and cut the carrots. And don’t forget to open a jar of artichokes. Ha ha ha.
Once the chicken gets a lovely colour, remove it from the pan and put aside. Use the same pan to roast the vegetables. Put some olive oil, onion, carrots and artichokes in the pan and cook until slightly tender. Don’t forget to stir from time to time in order to prevent them from sticking or burning.
Then, add the garlic and fresh spinach and cook for a couple of minutes. Don’t worry if you have a big green spinach mountain, it will almost “disappear”. Wink.
If you are using an oven-proof pan, simply return the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables. In other cases, transfer all of the vegetables in a baking dish, top with chicken, pour in the vegetable stock and put to bake for 20-25 minutes.
Once the spinach and artichokes chicken thighs are ready, remove it from the oven and serve it directly with the baking dish in the middle of your table. Add a big serving spoon so everyone can dig in and pile food on one’s plate. Prepare this lovely dish (you might use more artichokes or more spinach) for your weeknight meal. “Mmmm, I want more” and “yummy” are guaranteed!
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
