Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Mid-March and the world is thawing — not just the weather, though the weather is thawing too, the Hartford ice retreating, the sidewalks reappearing, the crocuses pushing through the half-frozen ground with the determination of small purple things that refuse to wait for permission. The world is thawing because the vaccines are working, because the numbers are dropping, because the word cautiously is starting to separate from hopeful and the hopeful is beginning to stand on its own.

Mami got her second dose. She is fully vaccinated. I am fully vaccinated. Eduardo is fully vaccinated. The three core members of the household — the three people who will be at my table no matter what — are protected, and the protection means that tonight I will go to Mami's apartment and I will sit next to her and I will hold her hand.

I held her hand. I drove to the apartment at 6 PM with a container of arroz con pollo and I walked in and I sat in the chair next to hers and I took her hand — her left hand, the one with the wedding ring she still wears even though Papi has been dead for eleven years, the hand that made sofrito for seven children, the hand that sewed wedding dresses — and I held it. The hand was warm. The hand was smaller than I remembered. The skin was thin, the veins visible, the bones too close to the surface. But the hand was alive, and the hand was my mother's, and I held it and she looked at me and she said, Carmen. Not Marisol. Carmen. My name, from my mother's mouth, while my hand held hers. One year of distance closed in the grip of two hands.

She ate the arroz con pollo. I watched her eat. She used the fork with both hands, the tremor requiring the support, and I did not help because helping would be insisting and insisting would be removing the last autonomy she has, the autonomy of feeding herself, and that autonomy is sacred, and I will not touch it, I will only watch, and the watching is its own form of holding.

Arroz con pollo is what I made that night, but the dish I keep coming back to — the one I reach for when I need something that feels like an offering — is this chicken artichoke casserole. It has the same quality arroz con pollo has always had in my family: it travels well, it holds its warmth, it asks nothing of the person receiving it except to eat. I brought it to Mami’s once the colder weeks set back in, and she ate every bite, both hands on the fork, and I sat across from her and did not say a word and did not need to.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and roughly chopped
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Make the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, minced garlic, lemon juice, thyme, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth and fully combined.
Fold in the chicken and artichokes. Add the chicken pieces and chopped artichoke hearts to the bowl and stir until everything is evenly coated in the sauce. Fold in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Transfer to the baking dish. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with a spatula.
Add the topping. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, and melted butter. Stir until the crumbs are moistened, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
Bake. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 40—45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F), the sauce is bubbling at the edges, and the breadcrumb topping is golden brown.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm, directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Artichoke Casserole — The Dish I Carried to Her Door