The answer to your quick and healthy weeknight meal dilemma! This Easy Chicken Bake recipe is filled with delicious pesto, spinach, artichokes, and tomatoes, all baked together for a healthy dinner that comes together in just minutes.
Let’s just start this post off by being honest…. This wasn’t supposed to be our dinner tonight.
It was an accident.
Actually, a very happy accident.
Strike that, a delicious accident.
I planned on staying in all day. I planned on bringing dinner to a friend who has just had surgery. I planned on making something else for dinner. Thank goodness plans sometimes fall to the wayside! I have MANY Easy Chicken Bake Dinner Recipes, and this one is the perfect new addition!
We have been sick FOREVER. I mean like someone in our house has been sick at all times for almost 3 months. It is ridiculous. Well today, I planned on staying in all day after a hectic start to the week. I was going to get some work done. Get some cleaning done. Be all around productive. Or at least pretend.
Then the littlest’s ear drum ruptured, so we had an unexpected trip to the doctor that took a huge chunk out of our day. The poor little guy is doing much better, and even though there is nothing I could have done, I feel like a bad mom.
So we get home, and now I have just a short window of time to get dinner together for my friend and less than half the window of naptime I usually get in which to make it all.
This sweet friend and her family eat healthy, almost towards Paleo. This always intimidates me a bit since I have never met a piece of gluten I didn’t like, but since trying the Whole30 diet last fall, I am much less afraid to make heathy and delicious meals in that direction.
{To clarify this recipe is not strictly paleo but it is certainly a balanced healthy meal that looks WAY fancier than the time it took to make.}
So anyway, I was going to make my very popular Italian Chicken Bake, but then saw the artichokes that I needed to use and inspiration hit. I whipped it up, put it in the oven, and it smelled SO good I knew that I was ditching my current dinner plans and making another pan of this Pesto Spinach Artichoke Chicken for our family dinner. {See ALL of my Easy Chicken Bake Dinner Recipes here!}
Then I decided it was a crime not to share, so I had to put it on the blog. The only problem was that there was a snowstorm outside and not enough light inside to take photos. So let me tell you what I did just for you guys…
I grabbed all of the ingredients, headed outside with them INTO the snowstorm, and proceeded to stand on our outdoor table with snow blowing all over me, my camera, the food, and everything so I could get enough light to share this recipe with you. So if things look a little wet in the pics below, you will know why. Please tell me you appreciate this!! Let me give you a little sneak peek of what this looked like…
INGREDIENTS
- food recipes
Let’s just start this post off by being honest…. This wasn’t supposed to be our dinner tonight.
It was an accident.
Actually, a very happy accident.
Strike that, a delicious accident.
I planned on staying in all day. I planned on bringing dinner to a friend who has just had surgery. I planned on making something else for dinner. Thank goodness plans sometimes fall to the wayside! I have MANY Easy Chicken Bake Dinner Recipes, and this one is the perfect new addition!
We have been sick FOREVER. I mean like someone in our house has been sick at all times for almost 3 months. It is ridiculous. Well today, I planned on staying in all day after a hectic start to the week. I was going to get some work done. Get some cleaning done. Be all around productive. Or at least pretend.
Then the littlest’s ear drum ruptured, so we had an unexpected trip to the doctor that took a huge chunk out of our day. The poor little guy is doing much better, and even though there is nothing I could have done, I feel like a bad mom.
So we get home, and now I have just a short window of time to get dinner together for my friend and less than half the window of naptime I usually get in which to make it all.
This sweet friend and her family eat healthy, almost towards Paleo. This always intimidates me a bit since I have never met a piece of gluten I didn’t like, but since trying the Whole30 diet last fall, I am much less afraid to make heathy and delicious meals in that direction.
{To clarify this recipe is not strictly paleo but it is certainly a balanced healthy meal that looks WAY fancier than the time it took to make.}
So anyway, I was going to make my very popular Italian Chicken Bake, but then saw the artichokes that I needed to use and inspiration hit. I whipped it up, put it in the oven, and it smelled SO good I knew that I was ditching my current dinner plans and making another pan of this Pesto Spinach Artichoke Chicken for our family dinner. {See ALL of my Easy Chicken Bake Dinner Recipes here!}
Then I decided it was a crime not to share, so I had to put it on the blog. The only problem was that there was a snowstorm outside and not enough light inside to take photos. So let me tell you what I did just for you guys…
I grabbed all of the ingredients, headed outside with them INTO the snowstorm, and proceeded to stand on our outdoor table with snow blowing all over me, my camera, the food, and everything so I could get enough light to share this recipe with you. So if things look a little wet in the pics below, you will know why. Please tell me you appreciate this!! Let me give you a little sneak peek of what this looked like…
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts
- 6-8 Tbsp prepared pesto
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 6 oz mozzarella or Italian blend cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 375F
- Place chicken flat in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Spread 1-2 tbsp pesto on each chicken breast (the more you like pesto the more you use! I just eyeball it!)
- Layer on spinach, artichokes and tomatoes.
- Cover top with cheese.
- Bake on lower middle rack for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooled through and the juices run clear.
- Serve over rice or sauteed spinach.
