CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND BROWN RICE

4 chicken breasts
1 (12-14 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (reserve 1 T of the marinade)
4 T fresh thyme
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1-2 cups brown rice (depends on how much rice you like!)

cook the brown rice.

heat oil in a large saute pan. season chicken with your favorite poultry seasoning (i like the mccormick montreal seasoning, the label says it's for steak, but i use it for every meat...) cook chicken breasts until done.

meanwhile, combine chopped artichoke hearts, marinade, thyme, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper (to taste) in a medium bowl. set aside.

once chicken is cooked through, set aside, covered. in the same saute pan, heat the artichoke mixture until cheese starts to melt.

after the chicken has rested for about 5 minutes, place on a bed of rice with the warmed artichoke mixture on top.

for variations, try mixing up the fresh herbs - you could use rosemary or sage. or add mushrooms or kalamata olives. and instead of brown rice, try wild rice -

a jamie busch original