Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes

This is one of my absolute favorite meals. It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s cheap, and its low fat. You can’t beat that. This meal incorporates most of my favorite ingredients into one beautifully simple dish. I made enough for three when I made this, but it can easily be made in a portion for one.  Like I mentioned before, the boyfriend hates mushrooms, so I often make this meal when he’s not home. MMmm mushrooms.

Ingredients:

1 package whole button mushrooms.

1 lemon

2 tsp of capers

1 jar/ can of artichoke hearts (not the marinated kind)

2 large chicken breasts

Salt and Pepper

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp dill – fresh if you have it, dried if you don’t

1/4 tsp tarragon – ditto

Method:

I prefer to grill the chicken, but the chicken for this can be cooked just about any way you like. Salt and pepper the chicken and grill it while you prepare the vegetable mixture.

Stem and slice mushrooms. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a 10 inch skillet, add the mushrooms. Lightly salt them, this helps to draw the moisture out of the mushrooms. Cover and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain the artichokes and add them to the mushrooms, along with the capers and spices, and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and sauté for about 3-4 more minutes until all the flavors have been incorporated. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything and give it one more stir to coat.

Slice the chicken into strips.  Put everything on a plate.

That’s it. Easy, delicious, cheap and quick.

You can also make this into a pasta dish with a few simple steps. After all the vegetables have been cooked and the lemon juice has been added, pour in a small amount of cream or half and half. I would start with about a 1/3 cup. Let everything cook for about 3 mins on medium-low to reduce and flavor the cream. Taste to make sure you don’t need to add any more salt or pepper (cream loves to absorb flavor). Then serve everything over a bed of linguine pasta (or any other pasta you like).

-Sue