Chicken is life in the Jones household so I am always on the look for a new, easy and quick to prepare chicken recipe idea. This Italian Chicken Bake checks off all of those, plus it is simply delicious.
Last Saturday at 3:30 in the morning, I received the following text from my oldest son, who is in his freshman year at BYU:
“Hey Mom! We got bored and decided to dye my hair.”
Well….a million possible responses ran through my head at that ridiculous hour, but I did the wise thing by rolling over, muttering “just perfect” under my breath, and going back to sleep. If he wasn’t 1200 miles away, I would have smacked him up side that red head.
I finally responded to his text the next morning, after I had attended church. I wanted to be in the proper Christian mind-frame 🙂
My newly styled son would have despised this chicken as much as I despise his hair. You see, my favorite BYU student can not stand artichokes, so I guess that gives us a second good reason for him to be 1200 miles away from home this week 🙂
All the rest of the Jones family (with their normal colored hair), thoroughly loved my latest dinner creation! It is so flavorful and makes a fab pan sauce that you can serve over pasta or rice. I love that there are a TON of great Italian goodies in the dish, along with the moist and tender protein. No skimping on the extras in this recipe!
PrintItalian Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tb oil
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ C chicken broth
- 1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing mix
- 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim the meat and use your hand to flatten out the thick end of the breast a bit. Lay them in a 9×13 baking pan that has been lightly greased.
- In a skillet, heat the oil over high heat and then add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until they are softened.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, place the cream cheese and broth. Microwave on high for 1½ minutes and then use a whisk to blend completely. Add the dressing mix, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Mix well. Mix in the cooked onions and mushrooms, along with the artichokes, tomatoes and spinach.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the meat is firm. Add the cheese over the top and place under the broiler to brown the cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 639
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 1627mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 25g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 61g
- Cholesterol: 77mg
I have some other killer chicken bakes so be sure to click on the pictures below to see some of my other favorites!
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