Ciao Italiano!

I was lucky enough, a few years ago, to spend some time in Rome, Italy. Very unfortunately we were only able to be there for 3 days...but we have vowed that someday we will return! I am convinced that if we ate as we did, and kept up with activities like we did...I would be at my ideal weight inside of a month! Of course, it was also July, so I sweated off 5 pounds a day as well, hahaha.
The Italian cuisine was out of this world! Handcrafted pastas, homemade limoncello and grappa, and fresh, fresh, fresh everything! You could taste the freshness of ingredients in every single bite; just heavenly! I find that I often crave foods with that fresh taste, and quality of ingredients; so tonight Im making an Italian Chicken.
In case you haven't gotten the drift by now...the ingredients for this dish should be as fresh as you can get them! I went this afternoon and picked out my tomatoes, and a hunk of fresh Mozzarella (now, really fresh Mozzarella is soft and a little watery, not very shreddable; so I sliced it and laid it atop the chicken). I chose to use artichoke hearts canned in water for this recipe, as fresh hearts are hard to come by, and I refuse to waste a full artichoke just for the heart. I always have fresh garlic on hand, and I have started investing in a really high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I chose Truvia as my sweetener, and used coconut flour as well.
You may recall me mentioning a basil plant in my kitchen window...it doesn't get much more fresh than that! DO NOT shred/chop your basil until you are ready to sprinkle it on the chicken; as the flavor starts to escape the moment you crush the leaves.
I recommend a glass/pyrex dish for baking, as metal ones just don't seem to cook as well.

Italian Chicken
Ingredients:
4 large, or 6 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 Roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 15 oz. can small artichoke hearts, in water (not oil!)
3-4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. sweetener (Truvia)
2 Tbsp. coconut flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Enough shredded mozzarella to cover each breast (or more fresh mozzarella slices)
1/2 C. fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Season chicken breasts on both sides with a light sprinkle of salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place in baking dish.
Core and chop the tomatoes, thinly slice the cloves of garlic, and drain the artichoke hearts. Place all these ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, the sweetener and flour (the flour is because the chicken produces liquid during baking).
Place this mixture on and around the chicken breasts, and bake until chicken is *almost done (about  minutes).
Take the almost done chicken out of the oven, and turn the broiler on low. Lay the mozzarella over the top, and place under broiler for a few minutes longer, until the cheese is golden brown and the vegetables are caramelized.
Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle the fresh basil over the top, and serve it up!


If you're not doing Paleo, and you just want to try this recipe, you could slice your chicken breasts and serve them over a pasta.
Otherwise, a nice fresh salad, or a steamed veggie medley would go really well as a side! Something you will notice with me, is that my veggie serving is at least as big as my protein serving...this is a good thing.
As a note: my picky Pixie declined to eat any of the Hogbake for breakfast. C'est la vie! I will keep trying!