We have always been very honest about a certain fact of life with the oldest of our six children: she is the experiment.
Don’t be shocked or upset by that statement. It’s the truth. As our first child, she gets the blunt end of our learning curve as parents. It’s just a fact of life and sometimes it is a good thing, but often, it really does stink.
The more children you have and the more practice time you get as a parent, the more effective you become. You learn what battles are important. You learn which rules are essential. You learn how to keep your mouth closed.
To compensate for this lack of good parenting skills, I also believe that God blesses that first born child with extra natural abilities and character. So, in the end, it’s all good! Right?!?
This week, I got a call from above-mentioned oldest child who is attending college. She was more than frustrated that the same day her younger brother passed his drivers test, he got to drive to school/practice. Apparently, a few years earlier when she was in that same situation, her mean old parents required her to wait 3 weeks before she was allowed to drive by herself.
My response? “I’m sorry sweetie. As you know, you are the experiment. I love you!” See…parents learn with time which battles to fight and which rules are essential. She doesn’t seem to be permanently scarred from our mistakes. Maybe just a few temporary wounds 🙂
When she comes home from college for a visit, I will have to heal a few of those wounds the best way a mother knows how. With some good home-cooking! I have seen many different variations of this recipe kicking around blogs and websites, but I decided to come up with my own version because none of them quite hit the mark of what I wanted. As you know, I have become well-known for my chicken bakes like parmesan chicken and chorizo chicken, so this had to be in a “bake” form as well.
This recipe was so quick to throw together, so make this on a night when you have no time to cook! It is packed with all those great Italian flavors and forms a delicious pan sauce that you can serve over pasta if you would like.
2 – 14 ounce cans of diced Italian tomatoes with basil and garlic, drained
1 – 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced well (I use a microplane)
3 T fresh parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tb flour or 1 Tb cornstarch (optional, if you would like a thicker pan juice)
4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
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. 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.
Author:Carole
Nutrition
Serving Size:1 chicken breast
Calories:422
Sugar:7g
Sodium:640mg
Fat:12g
Saturated Fat:14g
Unsaturated Fat:0g
Trans Fat:0g
Carbohydrates:16g
Fiber:4g
Protein:64g
Cholesterol:12mg
Carole Jones
Carole Jones is an Arizona-based cookbook author & food blogger. She's authored The 30 Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook and the self-published Take 5: Chicken e-cookbook. For the past 15 years, Carole has shared her culinary adventures cooking and baking for her six brutally honest children here on My Kitchen Escapades. Hot, crusty bread is Carole's love language, but her two adorable grandchildren are a close second. Yes, second. Don't judge.
19 comments
Italian Chicken Bake - Made From Pinterest
12 years ago
[…] Basil Artichoke Chicken Bake […]
Sammie
11 years ago
Mine came out pretty watery and I added flour. Is it supposed to be watery?
Carole
11 years ago
Hi Sammie! I wouldn’t call it watery because there is no water in it but it does make some juices in the pan as it bakes. The juices are really yummy so you can spoon it over the chicken or some rice or pasta!
Joyce
10 years ago
Just made this tonight for dinner. I added red bell pepper to use them up and left out the flour. I did everything else exactly as written. It was delicious and so easy.
Carole
10 years ago
Thanks so much Joyce for sharing your version of the recipe!
Basil and artichoke heart chicken bake with pumpkin gnocchi – Food for a Restless Mind
10 years ago
[…] chicken bake is based on this recipe. I just used a bit less of everything. I am cooking for three people so I used two large chicken […]
Madeline Hall
10 years ago
I just found your blog, when I was looking for new chicken recipes. I’m on a low-sodium diet, so I know how to adjust recipes to my liking. I use Himalayan Pink Salt more often and find I enjoy the taste and have no swelling of legs and ankles.
I like the suggested notes you add, like mixing mayo and Greek yogurt.
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19 comments
[…] Basil Artichoke Chicken Bake […]
Mine came out pretty watery and I added flour. Is it supposed to be watery?
Hi Sammie! I wouldn’t call it watery because there is no water in it but it does make some juices in the pan as it bakes. The juices are really yummy so you can spoon it over the chicken or some rice or pasta!
Just made this tonight for dinner. I added red bell pepper to use them up and left out the flour. I did everything else exactly as written. It was delicious and so easy.
Thanks so much Joyce for sharing your version of the recipe!
[…] chicken bake is based on this recipe. I just used a bit less of everything. I am cooking for three people so I used two large chicken […]
I just found your blog, when I was looking for new chicken recipes. I’m on a low-sodium diet, so I know how to adjust recipes to my liking. I use Himalayan Pink Salt more often and find I enjoy the taste and have no swelling of legs and ankles.
I like the suggested notes you add, like mixing mayo and Greek yogurt.
Thanks Madeline!