I had two chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be
cooked and haven't had artichokes in a while, so I decided to combine the
two. I have made a different artichoke
stuffed chicken before, but I seem to recall there being more involved with the
filling. Since I was only stuffing two
breasts, I didn't want to have a major surplus of filling. Besides, it's nice to have the artichoke
stand more on its own sometimes by keeping it simple. I didn't even use garlic. I think that's a first for me!! 
INGREDIENTS
:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T cream cheese, softened
14 oz can artichoke hears
1 t oregano
½ t crushed red pepper
½ c shredded mozzarella blend
Mayonnaise
(Hellmann's for me)
½ c seasoned bread crumbs
¼ c grated Parmesan
Since I hadn't planned ahead for this, I hadn't left any
cream cheese out to soften, so I put the 1T in a bowl and threw it in the
microwave on defrost for 10 seconds. It
came out perfect that way. This small
amount of cream cheese serves mostly to bind the ingredients for stuffing
purposes.
Drain and dice the artichokes, then stir those, along with
the oregano, crushed red pepper, and mozzarella blend into the cream
cheese and set aside.
Using a fork, whisk together the bread crumbs and Parmesan
and set aside.
Trim any random fat or other grossness from your chicken,
pat dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with a little salt and
pepper, bearing in mind that you will be using seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan, which are both on the salty side.
Using a small paring or utility knife, and being careful not
to go all the way through, slice a pocket into the chicken by running the knife
lengthwise, starting at the thick end. I
find that you have more control starting at the thick end. If you start at the tip, you might end up
with your pocket running along the top or bottom of the chicken rather than in
the center, which can affect how it cooks.
Stuff the pockets with the artichoke mixture. If you want, you can seal the chicken with
toothpicks, but that's really not necessary.
Lightly coat your chicken with the mayo, then with the
crumb mix.
Place in a nonstick or lightly sprayed pan and bake at 350° for
35-40" or until golden on the outside and the juices run clear.
This is why I like to coat chicken with mayo or dijon mustard before baking. It's like armor keeping in all those juices. No rubber chicken for me thanks. Check out how juicy and tender it is...
