Cheesy artichoke and green chile bread is a split loaf of ciabatta under Monterey Jack, Parmesan, cream cheese, chopped artichoke hearts and green chile, held four or five minutes under the broiler until the top blisters and browns in patches. It serves four to six as an appetizer and takes about twenty minutes start to finish, most of which is chopping. The one instruction that really matters is that you stand there while it broils, because every broiler is different and nobody can hand you an exact time.
The other thing worth knowing before you start is that the artichokes and the chile both come packed in liquid, and both get drained and pressed dry on the way in. That's not fussiness. It's the difference between a topping that sits on the bread and one that sinks into it, and it costs you about a minute with paper towels.
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The recipe
Cheesy Garlic, Artichoke and Green Chile Bread
- Serves4 to 6
- Prep15 minutes
- Broil4 to 5 minutes
- Chile4 oz
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
- 4 oz flame roasted Hatch green chile, drained
- 1 cup Monterey Jack, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 small loaf ciabatta
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Drain the artichokes and the green chile thoroughly. Chop the artichokes and press both between paper towels.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant but not colored.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the cheeses, artichokes, green chile and cream cheese and stir until combined but not melted. The residual heat is enough.
- Slice the ciabatta lengthwise and lay both halves cut side up on a baking tray.
- Spread the mixture evenly to the edges and season with salt and pepper.
- Broil 4 to 5 minutes, watching it the whole time, until the cheese is melted and bubbling with brown spots. Slice and serve hot.
Working the broiler
A broiler is the hottest thing in a home kitchen and it works by radiant heat coming down from above, which means distance from the element matters more than the number of minutes. Give it five minutes with the door closed before the bread goes in, because a cold broiler heats the loaf through before the top browns and you end up with dry bread under pale cheese.
Use a middle rack rather than the top one, six to eight inches down. Directly under the element the cheese blackens before the middle of the loaf is even warm. Rotate the tray once partway through if your broiler has a hot spot, which most of them do. And don't walk away, because the window between bubbling and burnt is under a minute and that isn't an exaggeration.
There's a calmer version of this, and it's the one I'd pick if I had people in the kitchen I'd rather talk to than watch an oven: bake it at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, then give it 60 seconds under the broiler at the end for color. Slower, far more forgiving, and close enough to the same result that nobody at the table will be able to tell.
Why you drain everything
There are three places water gets into this dish, and all three are avoidable.
The artichokes are the biggest one. Canned artichoke hearts are packed in brine and they hold a surprising amount of it down inside the leaves, so drain them, chop them, and then press them in a towel. The chile is the second, because roasted chile carries its own liquid and always has. Drain it in a sieve. It's the same principle as green chile cheddar biscuits, where the water wrecks the dough instead of the bread.
The bread itself is the third, because a soft open loaf will take up whatever the topping releases. Ciabatta has enough structure to hold, and a day-old loaf holds better than a fresh one, which makes this a good use for the end of a loaf you bought for something else. If the bread you've got is very soft, toast the cut sides for a minute under the broiler before the topping goes on.
Making it ahead
The topping keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered, which is USDA guidance for cooked leftovers. Make it in advance and broil to order. It spreads much more easily at room temperature, so take it out twenty minutes before you need it.
What you can't do is assemble it and hold it. Topping sitting on bread for an hour is topping sinking into bread, so put it together and broil it. Leftovers reheat reasonably well in a 350°F oven for about 8 minutes, while the microwave turns the bread to leather. Freezing doesn't work here at all, because the cream cheese separates and the bread falls to pieces on thawing.
If it came out soggy or burnt
The middle is soggy
Something went on wet. Press the artichokes in a towel, drain the chile in a sieve, and use ciabatta or another loaf with real structure rather than a soft sandwich loaf.
The cheese burnt before it melted through
The tray was too close to the element. Move it down to a middle rack, six to eight inches away, so the heat has room to reach the middle before the top goes dark.
The cheese is pale but the bread is dry
The broiler wasn't preheated. Give it five minutes with the door closed first, so the top browns before the loaf has time to dry out.
One end is dark and the other is barely melted
That's a hot spot, and nearly every broiler has one. Rotate the tray halfway through.
The leftovers are tough
They went in the microwave. Use a 350°F oven for about 8 minutes instead.
What to serve it with
It's an appetizer, so it belongs next to other things rather than on its own. Green chile beer queso is the obvious companion and uses a whole jar between them. For an actual meal it goes alongside green chile stew in place of a dinner roll, which is better than it sounds.
The chile is 16 oz jars, Medium or Hot, four ingredients, and a jar covers this recipe four times over. There's also frozen in 5 lb bags if you cook with it constantly. If you can't get Hatch chile where you are, the substitutions guide covers what actually works, and the whole recipe archive is free.
Common questions
How long do you broil cheesy bread?
Four to five minutes on a middle rack, six to eight inches from the element, watching it continuously. Every broiler is different and the window between bubbling and burnt is under a minute.
Can I bake it instead of broiling?
Yes. 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, then a minute under the broiler for color. Slower and much more forgiving.
Why did my artichoke bread come out soggy?
Undrained artichokes, undrained chile, or soft bread. Press the artichokes in a towel, drain the chile in a sieve, and use ciabatta or another loaf with structure.
What bread works best?
Ciabatta. It has enough structure to hold a wet topping. A day-old loaf holds up better than a fresh one.
Can I make it ahead?
Make the topping up to 3 or 4 days ahead and refrigerate it, but assemble and broil right before serving. Topping sitting on bread soaks in.
How much green chile does it take?
4 oz, which is about half a cup drained, for one small loaf. A 16 oz jar covers this four times.
Can I freeze it?
No. The cream cheese separates and the bread falls apart when thawed.
The short version
Drain everything, mix the cheeses and aromatics off the heat, spread it on split ciabatta, and broil 4 to 5 minutes on a middle rack without walking away. Twenty minutes, serves 4 to 6. If your broiler makes you nervous, bake it at 400°F and give it one minute of broiler at the end.