Artichoke & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

Oh yeah baby this was great!  I was a little leery about this recipe.  I'm so glad I tried it anyway.  I have a secret love affair with artichokes!  Artichokes are food from the gods!  I could eat them in a million different preparations.

I highly recommend this dish for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion.  I served it with broccoli and breadsticks.

• skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• prepared spinach artichoke dip
• To taste:  salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil 
• 1 can of medium artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 - 3 large cloves of garlic, minced fine
• handful of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Use a sharp knife to create a pocket into each chicken breast, being careful to not slice all the way through it.  Stuff each pocket with a large spoon of spinach artichoke dip.  I didn't measure it.  It will depend on the size of each of your chicken breasts. Use two toothpicks to close up each breast to contain the dip.  I skipped the toothpicks I couldnt find the box i had hidden in the cabinet.  Season each breast liberally with kosher salt, black pepper, dried basil, and a little garlic powder.  Arrange them in an oven safe casserole dish that you have sprayed with a little cooking spray.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the drained artichoke hearts with the halved tomatoes, olive oil, flour, minced garlic, dried basil, salt and pepper.  Top the chicken breasts with the artichoke tomato mixture.  Bake the chicken uncovered until an internal thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken reads about 155 degrees F.  The time will depend on how large or thick your chicken breasts are!  Remove the chicken from the oven, top the whole dish with the grated mozzarella cheese, then return it to the oven uncovered until the internal chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees F.