Braised Chicken and Artichoke Hearts
This has become a staple in our house. It is full of flavor and the longer it cooks in the braising liquid, the more tender and “fall apart” it will become. My son was late to dinner one night because he was at the gym. The chicken cooked for an extra hour on very low heat. He commented that he didn’t even need a knife it was so tender! It is made with jarred artichoke hearts so there is no need to fuss with baby artichokes yourself!
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts (skin on or off)
1 15 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained, retaining the liquid for later
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms (white can be substituted here), sliced about 1/4” thick
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (if you don’t have any on hand, substitute more of the artichoke heart liquid)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
the zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 Tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
Directions:
Prep all ingredients: pound chicken breasts to 1/2'“ thick, quarter artichoke hearts if not already, slice mushrooms, zest and juice lemon, and chop oregano.
Preheat a large heavy skillet on medium high heat until it is good and hot (you can test this by dropping a drop of water in it. If it sizzles and disappears right away, you are good to go.
Once your pan is hot, add about 1 Tablespoon of oil (I like avocado oil)
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute until nicely browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Add mushrooms, 2 Tablespoons of reserved marinade, broth, wine, lemon juice and zest, and crushed pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Uncover, stir in artichokes and 2 Tablespoons of oregano. Simmer until liquid is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through ( a minimum of 165 on an instant read thermometer), about 5 minutes.
This is where you can leave it on the stove longer if desired for pull apart chicken. It will not toughen up because of the braising liquid. Just be sure to keep it covered so that the liquid does not cook off. You can also choose to thicken the sauce slightly with a slurry of 2 Tablespoons broth and 1 Tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot powder.
Before serving, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the last Tablespoon of oregano and serve. Enjoy!