So Many Dishes

I like artichokes. The rest of my family loves artichokes. Any time I make a dish that includes them, someone will ask me to add extra. There have been arguments at dinner about who gets the last artichoke. There used to be a Jason’s Deli franchise in Wellington, and when they closed we joked that it was because they couldn’t afford to keep the artichokes on the salad bar because Ken ate so many.

I have several chicken and artichoke recipes that we enjoy, but I know that Ken won’t turn down the opportunity to try another one. It’s always a delicious combination. So when I saw baked artichoke chicken in white wine sauce in the Mediterranean Dish weekly newsletter two weeks ago, I knew we would be trying it soon. We did just that last night.

Suzy Karadesh calls this a twist in n chicken piccata, and the sauce is definitely reminiscent of that dish. Rather than breading and frying, though, the chicken cutlets are coated with a seasoning mix and baked in the sauce. The result was delicious.

Suzy also has a hack for pounding the chicken breasts that, when I tried it, made me go, “of course!” I used to put the chicken between sheets of wax paper, but the paper inevitably tore as I pounded. I’ve been using Saran wrap in its place, but the chicken tends to slide. Suzy’s hack is to put the chicken inside a large ziplock bag. Simple! Where’s my head slap emoji? No sliding on the counter, no tearing, no accidentally pounding uncovered meat.

It felt as if I was doing a lot of prep, but I was working on the side dish at the same time. Actual cooking time was probably 20 to 25 minutes, but a lot of that was baking time. That’s what made it possible to make the side I did; if I’d made traditional chicken piccata, I wouldn’t have had enough hands to keep up with everything in the stovetop.

I actually preferred this dish to chicken piccata. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and I loved the seasonings. The piccata I’ve traditionally made is only seasoned with salt and pepper. The artichokes add extra tang, and there were enough to keep Ken happy. So, this is another new recipe that’s a keeper. Read on after this recipe, because I’ve included the recipe for last night’s side dish, too.

Baked Artichoke Chicken in White Wine Sauce

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each chicken breast half horizontally into two halves. Place the pieces, one at a time, in a large ziplock bag, releasing the air before closing the bag. Use a meat mallet or heavy pan to pound the chicken flat, to about 1/4-inch thickness.

In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, thyme, paprika, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry and season on both sides with the spice mixture.

In a large oven-safe pan with a lid, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and wait for it to shimmer. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the lemon juice and capers.

Add the chicken and artichokes to the pan and spoon some of the sauce on top. Cover the pan and transfer to the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake another 5 to 8 minutes or until the chicken breasts are fully cooked.

Garnish with parsley and lemon zest and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

The recipe suggests serving with a big salad and either couscous or rice. We opted for pearl couscous as our starch, and we agreed that a small pasta is the better choice. I can see serving the chicken with orzo.

Our original intention was to have a salad with this dish, but I found beautiful broccolini at Trader Joe’s. Since I didn’t have to tend the chicken once it was in the oven, I opted to make my favorite veggie on the side. I’ve made garlicky broccolini, a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s Side Dish Bible, numerous times. This is absolutely my favorite way to cook broccolini. Between the garlic in this dish and all that I added to the chicken, no vampire was coming anywhere near us last night 😂

Garlicky Broccolini

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound broccolini, trimmed. For stems thicker than 1/2 inch, make a slit up the bottom 2 inches of the stem
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Combine oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a small bowl. Bring water and salt to a boil in a 12- inch nonstick skillet. Add broccolini; cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, sty, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into broccolini. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan. The recipe says this makes 4 servings, but, for us, it’s 2 to 3.

Happy eating, everyone!