Artichoke Chicken

First things first! As promised, one of you lucky commenters is going to win a free one year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens magazine! I used random.org's True Random Number Generator to pick a winner...

Christin M who said "I vote for Artichoke Chicken! It just sounds very interesting!! Can't wait to see what wins and how you like it!" 

Congrats, Christin!!! I'll be in touch with you soon to get your info and send the magazine your way!


Now on to the yummy stuff.  Once again we had a tie, so I've decided that my new "tie protocol" will be this: if there is a tie between two recipes, the first recipe that was voted on between the two will win.  And thus we have artichoke chicken :) This is a super simple recipe to throw together on a weeknight, although I think its definitely special enough to serve to guests. (Please excuse the pics.  Our camera is temporarily out of commission so the droid took over.)

Artichoke Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used thin-sliced breasts)
• 1 (15oz) can of artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed well, and chopped
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mayo (I used reduced fat; check out the reviews on allrecipes for ideas on replacing some of the mayo with sour cream)
• salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

1. Preheat your over to 375.

2. In a bowl mix together the artichoke hearts, cheese, mayo and some of the seasonings. I went pretty heavy on the pepper to balance out the saltiness of the cheese and the artichoke hearts. **Rinse the artichoke hearts really well if using some that came in a can with brine.  They are very salty! Next time I will use artichoke hearts that have been marinated in oil rather than stored in the brine.**

3. Place the chicken in a greased baking dish (I recommend using foil on the bottom of the dish for easy cleanup), and season the meat with some of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover the chicken evenly with the artichoke mixture.  I had quite a bit leftover so next time I will use more chicken or reduce the amount of mixture.

4. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear.  Since I was using thin-sliced chicken breasts I baked mine for about 20 minutes, then I broiled it for a few more minutes to get the top nice and brown. Yumminess.

I served the chicken with some garlic mashed potatoes and...garlic green beans.  What can I say? I love garlic! haha.  We both liked the chicken a lot and I'm sure I will make it again with the few modifications I mentioned.  I think it would be equally delicious with rice or pasta instead of potatoes. 

Thanks for the new recipe, friends! I hope you'll try it, too and let me know what you think.

Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods

Cast Party Wednesday

The next cooking challenge...

If your family is like most out there, you're eating a lot of chicken.  I hear people all the time talk about how bored they are with the chicken recipes they have used over and over and over. Although I can understand where you're coming from, since Adam and I watched "Food, Inc" last year, I have a REALLY hard time buying chicken at the grocery store unless it's organic.  Organic meat is a lot of wonderful things, but it ain't cheap, therefore I just don't buy it a lot! However, when I do buy chicken, I also can fall into a routine of using some of the same recipes over and over. Adam would eat chicken alfredo every day for dinner if I'd cook it.  And well, I just won't :)

Which leads me to our next chance to give me a cooking challenge and this time we're focusing on taking boring chicken and making it DELICIOUS! You know the routine. Look over these recipes from Allrecipes and let me know what you'd like to see me make. All four recipes involve a technique or ingredient I've never used with chicken before and I'm excited to see what you choose!

1. Artichoke Chicken
I've never cooked with artichokes, and really haven't eaten a whole lot of them.  I will be looking into ways to cut back on the mayo that the recipe calls for.  Looks like some people replaced some of the mayo with sour cream.

2. Chicken-Asparagus Roll-Ups
I love me some asparagus, so I think I'll enjoy this one. I'm interested to see if we like the flavor of tarragon in this recipe.

3. Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
I could eat my weight in coconut shrimp, so I'm wondering if I'll like this just as much.  The dipping sauce sounds interesting, too! I think it will be fun to add a little sweetness to dinner.

4. Honey Chicken Stir-Fry
I have sort of selfish reasons for including this one.  I've never made any type of stir-fry (I know, I know...) but a couple months ago I bought a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies in order to encourage me to try it! Let's get those veggies out of the freezer, shall we? haha

Leave me a comment below and let me know what sounds good to you! You have until Friday July 22nd 5:00pm Eastern Time to get your vote in. And just to make things interesting (and to entice you to actually leave a comment), one of you lucky commenters will be drawn at random to receive a free one-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens! That's right, a giveaway! Be sure to include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win.


On a side note, anybody ever come across Belly Flops?? They're irregular Jelly Bellies! I found them at my local Dollar Tree :)