Maria's Tomato, Basil and Artichoke Baked Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

Published:  03/12/2017

Chicken before it is cooked

This is a flavorful, easy to prepare entree that can be made ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to put it in the oven.

Prepare to this point, cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to put it in the oven.

Do NOT allow this to overbake or it will create a watery sauce. Use a meat thermometer and cook the chicken to no more than 165 degrees F.

Healthy Cooking Tip: Keep diced seasoned tomatoes, Barilla Angel Hair Pasta and jars of artichokes in your pantry. Keep a bag of parmesan cheese in your freezer and reove only as much as you need when you need it.

These tomatoes are my favorite! They are a taste test winner, are organic and packed in a BPA free can. I buy them from Amazon because they are less expensive than my local grocer.

Tomato, Basil and Artichoke Baked Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta or Spiralized Sautéed Zucchini Noodles   Spiralized zucchini recipe here

• Olive oil to grease the pan
• salt and pepper
• 3 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 breasts), cut each in thirds if large or 1/2 if small
• 1 - 14 ounce jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 2 - 14 ounce cans of diced Italian tomatoes seasoned with basil and garlic, drained (if you don't have these, add 1/2 tsp of dried basil and 2-3 minced garlic cloves to 2 cans of diced tomatoes)  Click here for the taste test winning canned tomatoes. and here for my favorite organic, BPA free tomatoes   or this brand on Amazon 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 Tbs cornstarch
• 6 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh basil, chopped, if desired for extra flavor and garnish
• Barilla Whole Grain Angel Hair pasta* or instead of pasta use spiralized zucchini noodles. For directions, see this blog post. 

1. Lightly coat a 9x13 glass pan with olive oil. Cut chicken into pieces, each in thirds if large or 1/2 if small breasts. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts (do not do if you are on a low sodium diet), then place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the drained artichoke hearts, drained tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese and cornstarch.  Pour this over the top of the chicken.
3. At this point, if you don't want to bake it yet, you can cover the chicken with foil and refrigerate.
4. 30 minutes before you are ready to put it in the oven, remove from the refrigerator and let sit on the counter.
5. While the chicken is baking put a large pot of water on the stove for the pasta. Don't boil yet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir so that chicken cooks more evenly. At this point, use a meat thermometer to check the temp of a thickest part of a breast. If 165 degrees, remove from oven. Watch carefully and continue to temp the chicken the last few minutes of cooking. You do not want to overcook the chicken or the entrée will get watery.
7. When you think the chicken is almost done, turn the water on to boil for the pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions (about 4 minutes) and drain.
8. While pasta is cooking, remove chicken from oven and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and place back in the oven for a few minutes just to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil over the top.
9. Place a small serving of pasta (1 cup) on each plate and top with some chicken breast and some of the sauce.

Makes 7 servings  See below for Nutrition Facts.  Recipe is in MyFitnessPal.com

*Taste test winner, Barilla Angel Hair Pasta is made with 51% whole wheat. A 1 ounce serving of has 14 grams of whole grains, which is a quarter of your whole days recommended amount.