Mediterranean Chicken

I adopted and modified this recipe to come up with this delicious one-pan chicken dinner. It's low-cal (well, if you can restrain yourself from a cheese overdose), high-protein, and has tons of impressive flavors. And hey, if I can make it on a Monday night, then so can you.

Total Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

What you will need:

1 package chicken (3 breasts)
3-4 fresh roma tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts (quartered, not marinated)
3-4 leaves fresh basil
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic (not pictured)
shredded reduced fat/part skim mozzarella (reduced fat crumbled feta would be a good substitute)
italian seasoning
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.

Roughly chop the roma tomatoes, removing excess seeds. You don't have to get every seed or membrane, but if they separate easily, take the "guts" and push them aside. You'll have plenty of juice without them, I promise.

Drain the artichoke heart quarters and add to a mixing bowl with the tomatoes.

Add in the olive oil, flour, garlic, and dry seasonings (salt, pepper and italian seasonings) to taste. Don't be afraid to use quite a bit of the italian seasonings as they will infuse the rest of the dish as it bakes. Mix well with a large spoon so that all the veggies are coated with the flour. The flour is important because it will help absorb/thicken some of the liquid that accumulates as the chicken cooks.

Butterly your chicken breasts and then season them well with salt, pepper and italian seasonings. Place in a glass baking dish (I always spray mine with a bit of Pam but it's not absolutely necessary).

Top the chicken breasts with the veggie mixture.

Pop the baking dish in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken shows no pink. How do you know if the chicken is done? I cut into the thickest piece. Doesn't always look pretty, but it's the best way to avoid salmonella.

Top the cooked dish with the shredded mozzarella--as much as you want. This can be very cheesy or barely cheesy at all, depending on how healthy you're trying to be. Sprinkle a bit of italian seasoning on the cheese, and then tear the basil leaves over the top of the cheese as well.

Put the dish back in the oven for about five minutes, or until the cheese has gotten nice and melty. Turn the broiler on "high" and stand there with the oven door cracked, watching it like a hawk, until it does it's nice little brown bubbly thing.

Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!