Lemon Artichoke Chicken

I have to admit, I'm a bit behind here. Lots going on in my world the last few weeks, and finding some down time to write up a witty and informative post for you all has been hard to come by. But alas, I must please the people!

The other thing I have to admit is that I almost never measure anything when cooking. Which is part of the reason I wanted to start this blog, as it will force me to actually measure and record the things I make, thus cataloging my "legacy" in the form of recipes. It is also the reason why I am, hands down, the worst baker you will ever find. I have had many epic fails in baking, and most of them can be attributed to me just plain not following directions.

Segway right into my third confession in as many paragraphs: I've made the below recipe so many times so the other day when I made it I didn't actually measure anything so a lot of this is going to be made up after the fact and if you hate it I'm sorry. Phew! Glad I got that off my chest. In all seriousness, even though I didn't measure when I made this the other night, the below quantities will probably get you about 95% of the way there. Then you can adjust based on your personal preferences and tastes! Yeah, let's say that. I didn’t want to give you precise measurements because I want you to be able to customize this dish for you! That works.

Anyway, I love this dish. It's quick enough to be able to make on a weeknight, but impressive enough to be served at a dinner party. I love the brightness of the lemons and capers paired with the buttery sauce from the ghee and chicken stock. It's a great combo for any night of the week.

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Lemon Artichoke Chicken  
 
What you'll need

3 chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons ghee (or butter)

1/4 cup rice flour (optional)

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 jar of marinated artichoke hearts (I use Trader Joe's, but any will do)

3/4 cup chicken broth or stock

1/4 cup of lemon juice (use fresh!)

1 tablespoon capers

What you'll do

In a large pan, heat the ghee on medium heat.

While waiting for the ghee to get hot, prep the chicken! Start by filleting the chicken so you have nice thin pieces. I do this by placing my left hand on top of the chicken, placing the tip of my knife in the center of the chicken and then push through to the other side. From there, slowly move the knife away from your center cut out to the edge of the chicken. Then turn your knife around and place back at your center cut, again moving the knife away from the center and towards the edge. Man, that was hard to explain! How about a few pics?

 On a plate, mix the rice flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. If you don’t want to use rice flour, you can certainly skip this step. It just helps get a good crisp on the chicken, as well as help thicken the sauce. If you do skip the flour, simply season the chicken with the spices once the chicken pieces are in the skillet. Take your chicken pieces and individually coat them in the flour and spice mixture.



Once the ghee is hot, place the chicken pieces into the pan. You'll want to let these cook undisturbed so that you get a nice brown crust on them. Once you see one side crusting up nicely, flip to the other side to finish cooking. To check if your chicken is done, I very highly recommend an instant thermometer. Steve bought me a Thermapen and it has changed my cooking! No more cutting into meats and losing all that precious juice! 

Once chicken is done, remove from pan. Add in the artichoke hearts and cook for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up the chicken remnants. I also like to add a splash of the marinade from the jar of artichoke hearts at this point. Next add in the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to slow boil. Once you've reached a slow boil, turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer and reduce for 5-10 minutes. I like to taste the sauce at this point to see if it has the right balance of lemon. Once reduced, add the capers and the chicken back to the pan. Let the chicken simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce.

Remove the chicken and plate, spooning the sauce and artichokes over the chicken. Serve with your favorite side. I served this over store bought butternut squash "pappardelle" which to be honest, I was not impressed with. I wish I had made my own but I was being lazy. This would be great over zucchini noodles, white rice or rice pasta, or alongside of broccoli or asparagus. It's very versatile!