Number of Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, finely chopped
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1 (5.5-ounce) bag fresh spinach
• 2 cloves garlic, divided (1 clove minced, 1 clove left with peel on)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 (10.5-ounce) container cherry tomatoes
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
• *Kitchen twine

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add artichokes and sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until warm. Add goat cheese and break into smaller pieces with a spatula. Continue to stir until the cheese has softened and is well combined with the artichokes, 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the spinach and 1 clove minced garlic until spinach is wilted and garlic is fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. While the vegetable mixture is cooling, prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut a long pocket into the side of each chicken breast. When cool enough to handle, stuff the vegetable mixture into the chicken pockets and gently press to flatten. Season with salt and pepper. Tie multiple pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of chicken to help keep the filling inside the pocket while searing. Set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and starts “popping”, carefully add the cherry tomatoes, shallot, ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and sauté until tomatoes begin to burst and you start to see some charring on the shallots, 3-4 minutes. Remove the garlic peel and place in a high-speed blender along with the tomatoes and shallot. Allow to sit without the lid to cool slightly.
5. Using the same oven safe skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and searing the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, just until they get a crispy golden crust. Place the skillet in the preheated oven for an additional 20-22 minutes, or when chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest and carryover cook to 165 degrees over a 10-minute period.
6. While the chicken is resting, finish the tomato shallot sauce. Add balsamic vinegar to the blender and begin to process on low. Slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, adding more as desired to fit consistency preferences.
7. Serve chicken over rice, then top with tomato shallot sauce.

Cook’s Notes

1. To help wilt the spinach, place a lid over the skillet for the first 1-2 minutes, then remove and stir.