Baked Italian Chicken

By á-45429

So I made this baked chicken last night and I was impressed. It was one of those wow moments you get when something turns out really good. My son wouldn't touch it because it has spinach, artichokes and mushrooms, but my daughter loved it. Seriously raved on and on about it. And it was relatively easy. The only extra step besides chopping is cooking the onions and mushrooms before putting it all in a casserole pan and baking it. You could probably skip that step if you don't mind onions being crunchy. I'm calling this Baked Italian Chicken. The sauce is so darn tasty and it makes enough to serve it over pasta if you'd like. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package zesty Italian dressing mix (Good Seasons brand)
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 5 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• Black pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the onions and the mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons of butter and a drizzle of olive oil until tender. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the chicken stock and cream cheese in a bowl and microwave a minute or two to melt the cream cheese. Whisk the dressing mix, garlic powder, and black pepper into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Stir in the tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, onions, and spinach.

Place the chicken breasts into a casserole pan. Pour the cream cheese and veggie mixture over the chicken. Bake for around 30 minutes or until the chicken is done. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and stick it under the broiler a few minutes to melt the cheese.