CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN WITH SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES

Since this recipe was said to have the same flavors as that fabulous spinach artichoke dip we all love, I thought I'd give it a try!    And....it did have a lovely flavor.  The recipe calls for it to be served over rice, although I think I might perfer angel hair pasta next time.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs

flour, salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 oz. cream cheese, softened**

10 oz. baby spinach (7 cup)

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated (1/2 cup packed)

1 pkg. (9 oz.) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, quartered  if whole (I used the canned variety w/o the juices) 

DIRECTIONS:

Season chicken with salt & pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. Add butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a heated skillet.  When butter melts, add chicken in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown in places, but not cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic, and thyme to skillet; cook until fragrant, 10 seconds.  Stir in broth and cream cheese; cook until mixture boils and cheese melts.  Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted; 2-3 minutes.  Stir in artichokes; cook 1 minute more.  

Return chicken and accumulated juices to skillet.  Simmer, shaking pan occasionally, until sauce is reduced and thickened and chicken is just cooked through.  About 3 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and parmesan.  Serve over rice. 

NOTES:  ** This is the first time I've used cream cheese in a sauce, and I ended up with little shards of cream cheese floating in the sauce.  It did not melt per the instructions.  I've since done some research and it seems there is a technique to this, so it was probably me.  If I make this again, I've decided to avoid this I'm going to use sour cream instead, I know how well it works in a sauce and it actually has much fewer calories than cream cheese as well.