Chicken-And-Artichoke Penne

• 1/4 cup plus 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pt. cherry tomatoes
• 1 (9-oz.) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring 4 qt. water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Add 1/4 cup salt; return to a boil. Add pasta; boil, stirring occasionally, 11 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
2. Sprinkle chicken with 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet. Add tomatoes to skillet; cook, stirring often, 4 minutes. Stir in artichokes, 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or until tomatoes burst.
3. Stir pasta, spinach, and 3/4 cup cheese into tomato mixture. Add up to 1/2 cup remaining pasta water, stirring constantly, until thin sauce forms. Chop chicken; toss with pasta mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

kosher salt, penne pasta, chicken, black pepper, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, parmesan cheese

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-artichoke-penne (may not work)