food comas

Okay, it’s not the most aesthetically appealing dish ever, but it is really delicious and really fast to make.  Artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes are really a fabulous combination.  I have seen this ingredient duo for pastas and frittatas as well, which I may have to try out soon.  I got this particular recipe off the Knorr®’s French Onion Soup Mix box back when I first started cooking, but you can make your own version of the sauce with household ingredients.  I always keep a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes in the fridge just so I can whip up this meal whenever I am short on time — just add chicken!

I’ve played with various substitute mixtures to replace the onion mix and it all really depends on your preference.  At the bare minimum, I think all your need is salt, pepper, minced onion flakes and some dried herbs to season the chicken.  I once tried to add fresh diced onions instead of dried flakes, but by the time the chicken is fully cooked, the onion is burnt so I vetoed that method.  (Alternative is to sauté onions separately and top after the chicken is cooked, but that defeats the purpose of this recipe being “quick and easy.”)

“Give  your chicken a little love tonight…” – Knorr

Baked Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Artichokes (from Knorr’s)

Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 1 jar (6oz) marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
• 1 package Onion Soup recipe mix

OR create your own dry onion soup mix:

• 1/4 C dry minced onion flakes
• 2 T chicken bouillon (or to cut the sodium, I just rub the chicken with Poultry Seasoning and skip the bouillon)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp  pepper
• 1 tsp dried herbs (Italian Seasoning or Herbes de Provence)