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Who doesn’t love comfort food? These tender ground chicken pockets are stuffed with a rich, savory filling of chopped artichoke hearts, garlic and velvety garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese. Every bite is creamy, flavorful and incredibly satisfying.
They are easy to make and packed with protein at 28 g per portion. These stuffed chicken pockets can be served for dinner with sides or as a grab-and-go lunch. They pair well with salads, roasted veggies, air fried zucchini fries, or pasta dishes,
Chicken pockets are versatile and can be stuffed with just about anything. The artichoke filling can be replaced with broccoli and cheddar cheese or roasted red peppers, pesto and mozzarella – the possibilities are endless.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Ground chicken
- Canned artichoke hearts
- Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow
- Fat free mozzarella
- Panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs
- Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese – I used Romano.
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Wax paper or parchment paper and aluminum foil
Sodium Alert: The sodium in this recipe is high due to the brand of ingredients I used. The bulk of the sodium is coming from the canned artichoke hearts. By using frozen artichoke hearts, you can reduce the sodium from 625 mg to 438 mg. Trader Joe’s carries frozen artichoke hearts. You can also eliminate the salt from the chicken mixture and increase the seasoning to compensate.
Making the Chicken Pockets
- Place panko breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, dried parsley and garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix together and set aside.
- Place unwrapped garlic herb Laughing Cow wedges in the microwave and heat on low briefly to bring them to room temperature.
- Drain the can of artichoke hearts and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Place them in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.
- Place the chopped artichoke hearts in a bowl along with the Laughing Cow wedges and garlic powder.
- Mix them together until you have a uniform mixture. Set aside.
- Place the ground chicken in a mixing bowl. Add the grated Romano cheese, garlic and onion powder, dried oregano,black pepper and salt.
- Use your hands to mix it all together until the seasonings are uniformly incorporated. Pinch off a small piece and microwave it briefly until it is cooked. Taste it and adjust the seasonings if you think it’s needed.
- Put down a piece of wax paper on the counter. Divide the chicken mixture into 4 portions and place them on the wax paper.
- Use your fingers to press each chicken mixture portion into a thin square or oval. Place some of the artichoke Laughing Cow mixture on to the bottom half of each chicken mixture portion.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the artichoke mixture over the bottom half of the chicken portion. Then sprinkle shredded fat free mozzarella over the artichoke mixture.
- Pick up the wax paper near the top side of the chicken portion and use it to fold the top half of the chick portion over the bottom half portion. Use your fingers to press the edges of the chicken mixture together forming a chicken pocket.
- Sprinkle some of the seasoned panko breadcrumb mix over the top surface of each chicken pocket.
- Transfer the chicken pockets, breadcrumb side down, to a foil lined air fryer tray.
- Sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs over the top of the chicken pockets.
- Cook in the air fryer, turning over half way through. When done, removed from the air fryer and let rest briefly.
- Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- Stuffed artichoke chicken pockets are a flavorful and satisfying main course for dinner.
- The creamy artichoke filling and the crispy Panko crust of these pockets pair nicely with a lemon arugula salad, classic Caesar salad or a Greek tomato and cucumber salad.
- Garlic Parmesan roasted asparagus or broccoli sides or air fried zucchini fries mirrors the Italian herb profile of the chicken pockets.
- For more substantial sides, garlic herb rice pilaf, lemon garlic pasta, polenta or pesto pasta salad work well with these cheesy artichoke stuffed chicken pockets.
WW 2 pt per chicken pocket, makes 4
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 235.3kcal
Equipment
- food processor
- air fryer
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowls
- wax or parchment paper
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
Artichoke Filling
- 1 can quartered or whole artichoke hearts
- 3 wedges garlic and herb Laughing Cow
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch black pepper
Breadcrumb Topping
- 4 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp grated Romano cheese - Parmesan can be substituted.
- ½ tsp dried parsley, crumbled
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 dash black pepper
Chicken Mixture
- 1 lb 92% ground chicken
- 1½ tbsp grated Romano cheese - Parmesan can be substituted.
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Artichoke Filling
- Open and drain the can of artichoke hearts. Squeeze as much water out of them as you can and place them in a food processor. Pulse them with the chopping blade until they are finely chopped.
- Transfer the chopped artichoke hearts to a mixing bowl. Add the wedges of garlic herb Laughing Cow along with the garlic powder and black pepper. Use a fork to combine all these ingredients until you have a creamy mixture. Set aside.
Breadcrumb Topping
- Place the panko breadcrumbs, grated Romano cheese, garlic powder, crumbled dried parsley flakes, and dash of pepper. Stir all these ingredients together and set aside. Chopped fresh parley can be substituted for the dried form if you have it.
Chicken Mixture & Making the Chicken Pockets
- Place the ground chicken in a bowl. Add the grated Romano cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper and salt to taste.
- Use your hands to mix the ground chicken and seasonings together. Pinch off a small piece, about the size of a quarter and microwave it on high for about 25 sec. Taste it and add more salt and garlic powder if you think it is needed.
- Divide the ground chicken mixture into four equal portions and place them on a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Use your fingers to press each portion out into a thin square or oval.
- Put 2 tbsp of the artichoke mixture on the bottom half of each pressed out chicken portion. Use a spoon to spread it out over the bottom half.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp of shredded fat free mozzarella over the artichoke cheese mixture. Use a scissors and cut the wax paper into four individual sections so there is a pressed out chicken square on each portion of wax paper.
- Pick up the wax paper near the top half of the pressed out chicken portion and use it to fold the top half of the chicken portion over the artichoke cheese filling on the bottom half of the pressed out chicken portion. There is a photo in the main part of the post showing this.
- Use your fingers to press the edges of the top portion and bottom half of the pressed out chicken portion together creating a chicken pocket.
- Sprinkle about ½ tbsp of the breadcrumb mixture over the top half of each chicken pocket. Place the chicken pockets, breadcrumb side face down, on the foil line tray of the air fryer. Then sprinkle the top of each chicken pocket with the remaining breadcrumb mixture.
- Place the chicken pockets into the air fryer and cook at 400℉ for 9 min. Flip them over and cook for another 9-10 min. Use a thermometer and measure the internal temperature of the ground chicken layer. They are done when the temperature reads 165-170℉.
- After removing the chicken pockets from the air fryer, let them rest for 5 min. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers. I have not tried freezing these.
Notes
- I used 92% lean ground chicken. You can easily substitute 98% lean ground chicken.
- I routinely use Romano cheese but you can easily substitute Parmesan cheese. I prefer the more robust flavor of the Romano.
- The sodium in each pocket is 625 mg with a significant amount coming from the canned artichoke hearts. You can reduce the sodium substantially to 438 mg by using frozen artichoke hearts if you can find them. My local grocery stores do not carry them but Trader Joe's does if you have one of those near you.
- You can decrease the amount of salt you use in the chicken mixture or eliminate it all together and increase the other seasonings to compensate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pocket | Calories: 235.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.5g | Protein: 28.3g | Fat: 11.5g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Sodium: 625mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
