Easy Italian Chicken

The other day I was wanting something Italian and nothing that was already in my arsenal was sounding appealing.  So, I decided to go with what I had up in my head!  The results were great and I hope you like them too!

Easy Italian Chicken (Shelly Redmond)

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic, drained
1/4 c. basil pesto 
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb.)
Salt and pepper
2 oz. part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
8 oz. yolk free egg noodles
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. chives (I used dried)

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a medium bowl mix together the artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes and pesto and set aside.  Place the chicken breasts in a 9X13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the vegetable mixture over the chicken.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Take the chicken out of the oven and move the oven rack to the top setting.  Place the oven on broil and top the chicken with the cheese.  Place the pan back in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly and brown.  Remove the chicken from the oven and top with lemon juice and basil.

Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions, reserving 1/2 c. of the cooking water before draining them.  Drain the noodles, place them back in the hot pot and add the butter, chives, reserved cooking water, salt and pepper and stir to combine. 

Serve the chicken and veggies over the egg noodles.

4 servings (614 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com