Italian Chicken Casserole

First of all, let me give props to Aaron & Jill of 'Our Story' blog for conceiving this deliciousness! I first came across this recipe on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it. Sure I've had artichoke before... mushed together with spinach in hot-dip form, but I had never purchased or cooked with it! And, I must admit, I enjoy a recipe that forces me to cook with new ingredients!

This recipe was super tasty, and considering I ate it 3 days in a row as leftovers, (when I'm not a big fan of leftovers) is a testament to how good it is. I've made a few small adjustments to the original recipe, turning it into more of a chicken casserole vs. a chicken bake. But, it's delicious either way! 



Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed
• 4-5 Roma Tomatoes, chopped (Roma are a firmer variety and more oval shaped)
• 2 cloves of Garlic, sliced or minced
• 1 small jar of Artichoke hearts, drained
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Bowtie Pasta, enough for 4
• Partly Skimmed Mozzarella - we used Cracker Barrel and couldn't get over how stringy and amazing it was!

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a casserole dish with cubed chicken and season well with salt and pepper.

2) Next prepare your artichoke-tomato mixture. In a large bowl, combine diced tomato and artichoke hearts. Add garlic, olive oil, sugar, flour, salt and pepper. Toss ingredients together to ensure tomatoes and artichokes are coated. *tip from original recipe: the flour absorbs the moisture the chicken releases during cooking*

3) Add the artichoke-tomato mixture to the casserole dish with the chicken. Bake until chicken is ready, approximately 20-30 minutes, give or take depending on your oven.

 4) In the meantime, prepare pasta. Since I think it's the prettiest of the pastas, I like to use bow-tie, but really you could use any hearty noodle! Strain, rinse and set aside.

5) Once your chicken is ready, remove the dish from the oven and combine the pasta with the chicken-artichoke-tomato mixture. Top with as much Mozzarella as you like and return to the oven.

I'm always overzealous when it comes to pasta... cut back a little if you prefer!

6) Broil the dish until your cheese is bubbling and nicely browned. Remove from oven and serve, topping with fresh basil if desired.

Deeelish!