Falling for Fall

Yep, it's that time of year again. the mornings are crisp and the leaves are turning lovely hues of red and orange. Fall. I love it despite the winter that inevitably follows. Apples and pumpkins and squash abound. MMMM. While every one else posts recipes for Fall. I am going to hang on to summer just a tad longer. Today recipe is brought to you by my grocery store's olive bar.  I am obsessed with the olive bar at the grocery store. Not because I love olives. In fact, I don't really care for them at all. It's the other random stuff that shows up. The stuffed cherry peppers, the marinated mozzarella, the roasted red peppers, the roasted garlic cloves (YUM). This past week what did I find, ARTICHOKE HEARTS! I have never seen artichokes on the olive bar before so I felt compelled to buy them. I love artichokes although my husband does not. So now I had to figure out what to do with them so they would get eating quickly. Then I remembered that hubs LOVES spinach and artichoke dip. BINGO! I had a game plan and was ready to throw down. Here is what I did:

Chicken in a Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Sauce

2 Tbs oil
2 Chicken breast halves, filleted if very large
4-6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
1 box frozen, chopped spinach
2 medium carrots, shredded
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 C white wine
1 cup chicken stock
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmery
Add chicken breast pieces and brown on each side. Once browned, remove from skillet and set aside
Deglaze pan with white wine and allow to simmer down
Add artichokes, spinach, carrots, garlic and leeks to skillet and saute until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.
Return chicken to skillet and let simmer until cooked through
Serve over pasta, rice or spaghetti squash.