Artichoke Chicken Bake with Goat Cheese

Obviously I have a passion for cooking and food… And as far as food is concerned, one of my favorites is goat cheese!

I mean come on – can you blame me?

It’s so flavorful, creamy and rich… You can add it to a salad, make a dip with it or, in this case, use it to top a casserole.

This artichoke chicken bake has a little bit of everything, from artichokes cooked up with the chicken, to being topped with fresh asparagus, cherry tomatoes – and of course, my favorite, crumbled goat cheese.

If you aren’t a goat cheese fan you can swap it out for mozzarella, provolone, or even some asiago… YUM!

I try to do a few things when I come up with these recipes: make wholesome foods with great flavors, have a variety of dishes that are easy to make, and also easy to change. What I mean by “change” is that you can take the base of every recipe and switch up the flavors based on your preference to make something tailored to you.

This is a great weeknight meal, just throw the chicken in the crock-pot in the morning, come home and build the casserole, put it in the oven, and you have a delicious and easy meal.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed
1 packet Italian seasoning dry mix
1 can fat-free chicken broth
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 can marinated artichokes, drained
1 cup shredded six cheese (we used Italian blend)
12-14 asparagus spears, cut in half
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
1 4-oz. container crumbled goat cheese

cooking spray
salt & pepper
oregano

Directions:

1. Trim the chicken. Once trimmed, place into the crock-pot.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together Italian seasoning, chicken broth, garlic, and lemon juice.
3. Pour mixture over the chicken, add whole artichokes and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
4. Once the chicken is done, shred the chicken and place it back into the crock-pot and toss in the liquid.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray then scoop the chicken/artichoke mixture out of the crock-pot and place evenly in the pan (you can add a little of the liquid from the crock-pot, but not all of it – just enough to keep the chicken moist).
6. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese evenly on top.
7. For the asparagus (make sure they are cut in half; makes for easier serving) and tomatoes you can place these however you want on top of the bake, or just mirror what I did in the picture (there is not right or wrong way).
8. Sprinkle the goat cheese evenly on top of the asparagus and tomatoes, then sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper.
9. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
10. Take off the foil, turn up oven to 425° and cook for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly crisp.
11. Once it is done, cut into 6 equal slices and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 square (1/6th of the pan)

Calories: 266
Fat: 12 g *
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 31 g

* To lower the fat you can sub a low-fat cheese