Upgrade Spinach And Artichoke Dip With Chicken To Make It A Hearty Meal

Spinach artichoke dip is one of the best appetizers out there — it's creamy, cheesy, and undeniably a crowd pleaser. It's incredibly easy to just keep dipping chip after chip in the spinach and artichoke goodness — to the point that you may make yourself too full for dinner. Well, as it turns out, you can actually turn the dip into a full-fledged entree with one easy addition: chicken.

Our recipe for crockpot spinach and artichoke chicken contains everything that you love about the appetizer dip. But by including chicken, it becomes much more filling and satisfying — and appropriate to serve as an entree. What's better than getting to eat your favorite appetizer for dinner?

Plus, because it uses a crockpot, it basically takes no extra effort on your part — the prep time (which consists of just searing the chicken on the pan) takes up just about 10 minutes. Then, while you let the dip slow cook in the crockpot, you can relax or whip up a dessert for after dinner.

Now that we've got you on board with turning a spinach and artichoke dip into a meal by adding chicken, it's time to decide how you'd like to serve the dish. Of course, you can serve it on its own, but it may not feel like enough of a meal that way. Our recipe serves it over a bowl of penne, then topped with grated Parmesan — this is certainly a fantastic option. You can choose your favorite pasta shape for the base and even opt for the slightly healthier option of whole wheat pasta if you want to add in some dietary fiber and other nutrients.

Additionally, you can serve the spinach and artichoke chicken over a bowl of rice — simple steamed white rice or brown rice would both work well. Or, for something more flavorful, you could whip up a batch of coconut rice. Another flavorful option — which will also match the bright green color of the spinach and artichoke chicken — is healthy green rice, which features flavors of poblano peppers, jalapeños, onions, and more.