Chicken & Artichoke Casserole

We have a very much beloved Cocker Spaniel in our house.  She has a rather ticky tummy, so I don't give her dog food anymore, it always upsets her stomach.  It's real chicken and rice and vegetables all the way with her and that helps to keep her healthy and when she is feeling well, we are happy too.   I cooked some extra chicken yesterday when I was cooking hers, so that we could have this delicious casserole for our dinner today.  (You don't think I would cook my dog anything I wouldn't eat myself do you???)

 

I normally poach her chicken breasts in a bit of stock.   She also has a tendancy to pu ton weight, so the breast is the leanest part of the chicken.   One day when I was talking to my sister I said I was cooking chicken for the dog and hotdogs for us.  She thought there was something wrong with that picture.  I assured her we both love hotdogs!



This is  a delicious casserole that is so very simple to throw together.  If you have leftover chicken and a few store cupboard ingredients you have the makings of this!  It's simply cooked chicken, some cream cheese, some mayo, sour cream, regular cheese, grilled artichokes, shallots/onions and some seasonings.  



You just mix it all together and bang it into a dish and bake.  I like to add a bit of cheese and cracker crumbs on top to give it some added crunch and interest.  You could use plain tinned artichoke halves if you wanted to instead of the grilled ones.  Heck you could use a couple tins of green beans drained instead of the artichokes if you wanted to.  It would still taste fabulous!

 

I hope you'll give it a go!  I am pretty sure you will enjoy it!  A lot!  Or I'll eat my hat!

*Chicken and Artichoke Casserole*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

Delicious and rich.  A bit decadent.  Save it for a special meal. 

180g pack of cream cheese (4 ounces)

40g of sour cream (1/3 cup)

55g of good quality mayonnaise (1/4 cup)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 shallots, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained

3 cooked chicken breasts fillets, shredded

240g of grated cheese (2 cups) divided

(I used a mix of strong cheddar, Jack, mozzarella and edam)

a handful of buttery round crackers, crushed 

 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a shallow casserole dish.  Set aside.


 

Mix all of the remaining ingredients together, reserving about 1.2 cup of the cheese mix.   Spoon into a baking dish.  Mix the reserved cheese with the cracker crumbs and sprinkle evenly over top.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling at the edges.   Serve hot with cooked rice.