Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Chicken Jerusalem

This has been a recipe I have been eyeing ever since 2008. That's right--we're approaching on five years of me eyeballing a recipe and never making it. Having our friends over for a cooking party seemed like a good time to try it--especially since my cooking criteria was "artichokes" and this recipe had major artichoke potential! Apparently artichokes; olives; and all things brine are what floats my boat this pregnancy. Also I like oranges (see previous post).

The recipe is from the Cottage in La Jolla. We added more artichokes (!) and less chicken. Because that's how we roll. Also, we just used jasmine rice because it was what I had and I didn't really want to deal with wild rice. The effect was that, when plated, it looked pretty putrid. But it was still quite good. I would recommend figuring out how to add some parmesan or a little bit more salt because it was a little more mild than I had anticipated...

CHICKEN JERUSALEM
Ingredients:
1.5 cups wild rice (or Jasmine or white rice if you're me!)
2 whole chicken breasts skinned and boned (I just used plain chicken breasts because skinning and de-boning anything terrifies me)
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, chopped (we didn't use marinated hearts--but I don't think you were supposed to. In hindsight, I wonder if this would have given it a little more flavor).
4 tbsp chopped shallots
1 cup white wine
2 cups heavy cream

Cooking Instructions:
Cook the rice according to the package directions, set aside and keep warm. Slice the chicken breasts into 1-inch strips. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and add to the saute pan. Cook until brown. Add the garlic, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and shallots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add the heavy cream and simmer for 5-7 minutes.or until the sauce starts to reduce and thicken. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Presentation note: 
This dish is served nicely if you arrange the rice around the side of the plate and the Chicken Jerusalem in the center of the dish. If you only use white rice, its just going to look like a giant blob of white/artichoke color on your plate so be warned! Maybe a sprinkling of some nice herbs like italian parsley or a colorful garnish would liven it up a bit.

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