Chicken and Artichokes in Wine Sauce

I love pasta but I tend to fall into a routine of preparing the same 2 sauces over and over again. So when I stumbled on the below recipe I knew I should try it out. 

The result is a very creamy, lemon flavor pasta dish.

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 2 cups artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound 
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cups dry white wine 
• 1/2 lemon
• Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, to garnish (optional)
• 300-400g pasta 

Method

 

1. Cut the artichoke hearts in half lengthwise. 
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch to a side. 
3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with about 1 teaspoon salt and a generous quantity of black pepper. 
4. Toss the chicken pieces in the flour.
5. In the meantime prepare the pasta following its cooking instructions.
6. Set a large skillet (at least 12 inches wide) over medium-high heat. 
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
8. Add the artichokes. 
9. Cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned on each side. 

10. Remove the artichokes from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
11. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet along with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. 
12. Lift the chicken pieces out of the flour and arrange in the skillet. 
13. Sauté the chicken pieces for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. 

14. Add the artichokes back to the pan.
15. Pour in the white wine and and stir and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. 

16. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat. 
17. The sauce will thicken. Stir well to coat everything with the wine sauce. 

18. Stir in a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.
19. Garnish, if desired, with finely chopped parsley.

 Recipe Origin: Thekitchn

Stuffed Artichokes

Most people know about artichoke hearts, usually bought marinated in a tasty mix with olive oil. Artichoke hearts are just the tender center of the artichoke. Artichokes are actually the buds of a thistle plant that have not yet flowered.

In Malta it’s common to cook the whole artichoke and eat the soft part of the leaves.

Beware that the below recipe is not for everyone. Eating artichokes involves a lot of work for a tiny amount of ‘food’.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 artichokes
• Parsley finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• Half a can of tuna in oil
• Half a carrot cut into small pieces
• The soft part of a loaf bread slice
• Pepper & salt
• Vinegar
• Olive oil

Method

1. Start boiling a pan with water, some olive oil and vinegar. The pan should fit your artichokes. The water level should reach till the middle of the artichokes
2. Mix the parsley, garlic, tuna and carrot
3. Wet the bread and add to the mix
4. Season to taste
5. Mix the mixture well
6. Stuff around 2 tablespoons of mixture into each artichoke

7. Place the stuffed artichokes in the pan
8. Cook for around an hour, starting with high fire and lowering it later on.

9. After an hour the artichokes are ready to serve. Just sprinkle with oil, vinegar and salt for some seasoning.

I usually serve artichokes with a boiled egg, potatoes, some veggies and the left over tuna. A piece of loaf bread with tomato concentrate (‘kunserva’) matches perfectly to the tastes.

How to eat an artichoke!

1. Take the leaves off one by one. The edible part is lighter in colour and located at the base of the leaf
2. Scrape off the tender bits of the leaf by putting the leaf in your mouth, closing your teeth on it and pulling the leaf outwards. The eatable part will detach from the leaf easily.
3. Discard the rest of the leaf
4. Continue until you reach the smaller center of leaves.
5. Pull off the center leaves. A hairy area will be at the bottom of these leaves.
6. Remove the choke with your fork/knife.
7. Eat the heart of the artichoke!