Thursday, September 25, 2014

Basil Artichoke Chicken Bake

 After a crazy Summer of being home all day, every day, with my busy 3 boys, visitors and a recent cruise, I should probably get back into the game. 

So, to start out this game, here's an amazing recipe I just made  last night! Basil Artichoke Chicken Bake.  I've had this recipe pinned on my Pinterest for a while now, I finally made it! And, it did not disappoint.  It was honestly so great, fresh tasting and really pretty healthy! My hubby loved it! The great thing about this dish is you can eat they chicken with noodles or without, it all depends on how good you wanna be.  I was only so good to eat it over healthy choice noodles ;)


Salt and pepper both sides of chicken, I used frozen chicken.

 Gently mix together the drained tomatoes and drained artichoke hearts with the garlic, Parmesan cheese and flour/cornstarch if using.

Spread this mixture over the top of the chicken and bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.

  Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler until browned, about 3 minutes. 

 Remove from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil over the top. (I sadly let my basil plant die, so I didn't have fresh basil on hand, but I will be making again and will use it next time!)  

You can serve this alone or with some pasta, I chose to serve with! YUM!

Basil Artichoke Chicken Bake

3 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5-6 breasts, I used 13 tenderloins)
Salt and Pepper
2  14 oz cans of diced Italian tomatoes with basil and garlic, drained
1 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced (2 t)
3 T fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T flour or 1 T cornstarch (optional, if you would like a thicker pan juice to serve alone)
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, chopped
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9×13 glass pan with nonstick spray.  Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts, then place them in a single layer in the pan.
2.  In a medium bowl, gently mix together the drained tomatoes and drained artichoke hearts with the garlic, Parmesan cheese and flour/cornstarch if using (don't use if you are serving over noodles).  Spread this mixture over the top of the chicken and bake, uncovered for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler until browned, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil over the top.  You can serve this alone or with some pasta because it does make some pan juices. Enjoy!

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Escapades