Trader Joe's sells an artichoke antipasto spread that I absolutely love. I can't buy it very often though, because I tend to want to eat an entire jar in one sitting, spread onto stone-ground wheat crackers.

Last week, as I was searching the kitchen for dinner inspiration, I came across an unopened jar of the spread and decided to try it on chicken. I recently discovered this perfect way to cook chicken breasts, thanks to not martha, so I followed that method (minus the flouring step) and topped the chicken with the artichoke spread and a few handfuls of frozen chopped spinach. It turned out so well that I made it again last night, only this time without the help of a pre-made artichoke spread. This dish is a new favorite!

2-3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 lemon
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced then roughly chopped
parmesan cheese (optional)

Wash and dry the chicken breasts and pound to an even thickness. Drizzle a shallow dish with olive oil. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the dish. Drizzle more olive oil on top along with the juice of half a lemon. Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

Chop the artichoke hearts and combine in a medium bowl with spinach, oregano, basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and the juice from the remaining lemon half.

When ready to cook the chicken, heat a 10-inch pan over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and turn the heat down to medium. Add the garlic and cook briefly, just until it starts to turn golden. Remove the garlic from the pan (leaving as much of the oil as possible) and add it to the artichoke mixture.

Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for about a minute, then turn them over. Top chicken with the artichoke mixture and turn the heat to low. Put the lid on the pan and set the timer for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, turn the heat off and reset the timer for 10 minutes, keeping the lid on the pan.

When the 10 minutes are up, check to make sure the chicken is cooked through (if not, just turn the heat back on to low for a couple minutes).

Serve with rice, pasta, or couscous, and top with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.