Italian Chicken Bake

I've been a blog-updating fool lately! It's funny because I will go weeks without trying anything new meal-wise (i.e. no new blog updates), and then all of a sudden, have a bunch of new recipes to post all at once. Granted, it's probably days/weeks in between when we actually have the meals and when I get all the updates finally on here. It's just odd that my blogging has been reduced to completing it in fits and starts. I guess it just depends on my mood or how busy we are, basically. Also, I've noticed that I will go weeks at a time without wanting to try any new recipes. I just want easy, stand-by dinners that I've done a million times and that I can put together from memory; I call it auto-pilot cooking. That's my standard when I'm overly extended or stressed out and discovering new meals is just one more thing to worry about or check off the to-do list. For now, life has settled into a rhythm and I'm up for trying new dinners and updating posts. Hooray!

This was a Pinterest find that wasn't actually a recipe, more like a photo and a loose guideline. The "recipe" didn't even have an official name or really a source, so I creatively dubbed it "Italian Chicken Bake". Really original, I know! I tweaked it from the original suggestion and made it my own. The result was really tasty and satisfying, so my version is a keeper. I think we had our chicken with some steamed mixed veggies and called it dinner.

Italian Chicken Bake

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (I really didn't measure)
1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (again, I really didn't measure)
4-6 chicken breasts (depending on how many portions you'd like)
2 containers of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 container of sliced crimini or white button mushrooms
4-6 cloves of garilc, minced
1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Directions:
Spray glass casserole dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken in dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper. and then drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
Add chopped tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion, and minced garlic to the dish, covering the chicken.
Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and water over top of the veggies.
Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of chicken and veggies.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the fresh basil over the top, as a garnish.
Once plated, spoon a tablespoon or so of the pan juices over top of your serving of chicken/veggies.