As the title of the post suggests, this dish is insanely delicious (yet also extremely simple and easy to put together). Make it for date night, to impress your parents, to make your roommate forget about all the dirty dishes you left in the sink last week, or just all for yourself because you're that special!
Here's what you'll need (Serves 4)
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.25 lbs)
- 6 0z marinated artichoke hearts (small jar), drained and chopped
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
Step 1: Rinse your chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Set on a cutting board and cover with a piece of cling wrap. Using a meat mallet (or another heavy flat-bottomed object), pound the living daylights out of your chicken breasts until they are flattened.
Here's what they look like when you're done smashing them. The reason for this is to allow them to cook faster and have more surface area for the artichoke mixture to cling to.
Step 2: Trim off any fat and nasty bits. Slice your breasts in half on the diagonal (yielding 4 equal size pieces). I am counting each 1/2 breast piece as a serving, but if you have a very hearty appetite this recipe will only yield 2 servings.
Step 3: Season well on both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle on a few pinches of red pepper flakes (a little goes a long way - it's SPICY!)
Step 4: Drizzle your Tbsp of olive oil into a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Allow it to warm up a bit (the oil will get very thin and runny - that's how you know it's hot enough). Preheat your oven to 425.
Step 5: Add your chicken breast halves to the skillet and brown them. My skillet wasn't huge so I only added two halves at a time to avoid crowding the pan. When you add too much food with moisture in it to a cooking surface that's not big enough to accommodate it (overcrowding), the food will end up steaming in it's own juices that are evaporating, instead of browning in the oil. You want it to achieve a nice golden brown crust.
When the first side gets nice and golden brown, it's time to flip!
Keep an eye on your chicken, adding more pieces when the first two are almost done. They don't need to be cooked ALL the way through, because they are going in the oven later. Baking in the oven will complete the cooking process - if you cook them all the way through in the skillet, they will get dry and overdone after being in the oven too.
Step 7: While your chicken is cooking on the stove, mix together your artichoke topping. In a small bowl mix 6 oz drained and chopped marinated artichokes, 3 Tbsp mayonnaise, and 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese. You could actually use any white cheese you want, but mozzarella is what I had on hand. White cheddar, parmesan, or romano would also be fantastic!
Step 8: Try to refrain from eating a bite right off the spoon. I couldn't ;)
Step 9: Your breast halves should all be finished browning at this point, and be mostly cooked (a teeny bit of pink in the center is fine). Arrange them in a row on a foil-lined baking sheet and spread a large dollop of the artichoke mixture on top. Don't let any go to waste, just pile it all on.
Step 10: Pop them in the oven and let them bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the artichoke mixture on top is melted and starting to achieve a beautiful golden brown color.
Ohmigawd. Would you look at that?
Step 11: Open mouth. Insert fork. Game over.
To make a complete meal, serve with some steamed veggies and smashed salt&vinegar potatoes (recipe coming soon!) or rice. It doesn't get much better than that!
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Thanks for reading!
xoxo
JEN
