Tag Archives: chicken

Chicken Artichoke Pasta Alfredo

This scrumptious recipe is woman-pleasin’ to the max. I attempted to make it man-pleasin’ as well by sprinkling some bacon on top. The results:

Me: So what do you think? Isn’t this awesome?

My man: Um, well, it’s alright.

Me: “Alright”?? “Alright“?? Are we eating the same dish? Did I not sprinkle enough bacon on? Seriously, you don’t love this?

My man: I mean, it’s okay. I like it fine.

Me: “Okay”??? “Fine”???? *spazzing out*

My man: Yeah, it’s fine. Not mind-blowing, but it’s good.

*at this point I’m passed out on the floor*

So I’m just going to skip the whole burning question that has my mind on fire: did God really create my taste buds so differently from my husband’s? Is it a woman/man thing? Or is he a freak of nature? Or wait, maybe I’m the freak of nature?

Anyway, ignore this whole little session and just remember the fact that I fully endorse the deliciousness of this dish.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

3 TBS olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 breasts)

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta

2 14 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained (rinse well if using marinated hearts)

1 stick unsalted butter

1 c heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 slices bacon, chopped and fried (optional garnish)

1 TBS minced thyme or rosemary leaves (optional garnish)

First, get the pasta water (salted) on the stove so that we can get that farfalle cooked!

I chose to prep my garnish first–don’t ask why that made any kind of sense. I’d fried up some bacon the night before, so I chopped it up nice and fine along with some rosemary.

Thyme is also delicious on this dish. I should note that if you choose to use raw herbs for the garnish (as opposed to cooking the rosemary with the bacon, for example, or adding it to the chicken as it’s frying), chop it up finely! A mouthful of herb can be a rather bitter experience. You want tiny pieces–they pack a whomp.

Now, chop the chicken into bite-sized cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic and chicken.

Immediately sprinkle the chicken with salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is starting to look less raw.

Open and drain those artichoke hearts–we don’t want any excess liquid going in.

Add the artichoke hearts, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Looking good.

Now you could chop up your artichoke hearts if you want, but I just broke them apart in the pan with my wooden stirring device:

I also used this opportunity to quickly grate the parmesan.

Add the butter to the artichokes and chicken . . .

Watch it melt with longing in your eyes.

Once it’s fully melted, add the cream . . .

. . . and parmesan.

Continue to cook for another few minutes until it’s turned into a lovely, thick sauce.

It looks a little pale, and that’s why the garnish is so important. It adds a beautiful pop to what could be a boring-looking dish.

When the pasta is done, pour it into the sauce and stir it around to combine.

Ew. That picture is disturbing, disgusting, and unappetizing. The drips of sauce look like . . . stalactites. Please pretend it never happened.

Let’s serve it up and top it off with some rosemary and bacon pieces.

Much prettier without those stalactites hanging ’round like they do.

You can also grate on a little more Parmesan if that does it for you.

I used one of my favorite Christmas gifts: a microplane zester.

Perfect!

Let’s take another bite.

Enjoy, ladies. And . . . men? If your taste buds are so inclined.

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Coq au Riesling

I think it may have been a month since I posted my last recipe here. A month! *shivering with horror* I may not have cooked very much recently, due to our holiday travels . . . and the few times that I did cook, I failed to photograph! Ay, me. This is why it’s going to take me a little longer than usual to blog about an incredible Spicy Tuscan Soup, a creamalicious Chicken Artichoke Fettucinne, delectable Spicy Mulled Wine, and addictive Roasted Green Beans. They were all so good. But I can’t well write about them without photographs, so I’ll be making them all again one by one in order to bring them to you! Because I care. I care about your taste buds. I want them to feel loved, excited, cherished, and believe me–all of these dishes will romance the socks off them. Yes, food is part of a love story you have with your own tongue.

Does that sound creepy? Because I’m really not talking about French kissing with yourself. Like that’s even possible!

Or maybe we’re doing it all the time and just don’t notice it. Even creepier.

Okay, let’s turn off the creepy switch and turn on the Coq au Riesling switch. *click* There!

This is another Tasty Kitchen treasure with my adjustments (click here for original), and I loved every bite. Simple dishes are sometimes the absolute best, eh? (Note to Canadian friends: when I say ‘eh?’, do you relate to me better?)

Ingredients

1/2 lb thick cut bacon

1 medium onion

2 leeks

5 cloves garlic

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 bay leaves

10 sprigs of thyme (5 are for garnish)

1 bottle (750 ml) Riesling

10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms

Salt and pepper, to taste

First, grab a trusty Dutch oven. Chop the bacon into small chunks, and fry them over medium high heat until they’re almost crispy, around 12 minutes.

In the meantime, chop up the onion and leeks and mince the garlic.

Toss the fibrous dark green part of the leeks–just use the white and light green parts. I stopped at the point where the leaves divide in the picture above.

When the bacon is starting to get crispy, add the onion, leeks and garlic, and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are getting tender.

Trim the chicken thighs of fat and pat them dry with a paper towel. Really! This is important because removing the moisture will allow them to brown much better.

Salt and pepper them on both sides. Am I allowed to use ‘pepper’ as a verb?

I give myself permission by royal decree.

Add the thighs to the Dutch oven, moving the vegetables aside and on top of the chicken so that the thighs are touching as much of the bottom of the pot as possible.

Basically, scoop and pile.

There we go! Now brown them thoroughly, about 6 minutes on each side.

Time to add the mushrooms. I chose the prewashed, presliced bag. Do you still love me?

Stir them in evenly, and cook for another 3 minutes.

Now pour in that lovely bottle of wine . . .

Add the bay leaves and 5 sprigs of thyme. Some of the thyme I pulled off the little branches . . .

. . . but some I left on the sprigs. I was getting impatient. I mean, I wanted to give it a rustic feel.

Bring ‘er to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

*insert imaginary picture of covered pot on the stove*

Alright! We’re almost there. Hang in there with me! Don’t abandon ship now! Uncover the pot . . .

. . . and simmer for another 15 minutes, shredding the chicken with two forks and adjusting seasoning to taste.

Serve over rice or noodles, with fresh thyme from the remaining 5 sprigs sprinkled on top.

That big, fat mushroom is calling my name.

Winter ain’t over yet, folks, and this is the kind of dish that will help you through. Warm your stomach. Give you strength to face the wind and the snow.

Unless you live in Australia. In which case, don’t even tell me how warm it is in Other Hemispheres.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Coq au Riseling