sun-dried tomatoes

A few years ago, while my husband and I were planning our wedding, we went out for dinner near the reception hall we had just chosen for our wedding day. We both ordered the same chicken entrée because it sounded so delicious. And it was. We loved it so much that as I was eating it I thought…I’m going to try to recreate this dish at home. How hard can it be?

Well, here’s the dish. And I must say, it’s pretty darn close to the original one we had at the restaurant that night – minus the tons of butter I’m sure they put in it. It has turned out to be one of our favorite meals. I named this dish after the town the restaurant is in and every time I make it we are reminded of our wedding and all the planning that went into it.

Hopefully by following this recipe you will have extra sauce leftover once you have eaten all the chicken. Absolutely do not throw that sauce away. It is utterly spectacular over pasta.

Here’s what you will need to serve 4….

Recipe

6 thin chicken cutlets (they come butterflied in my store, I usually cut them in 1/2 down the center).

whole wheat flour

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 box crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (not too thin)

1 12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, slightly defrosted, cut in half lengthwise

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 7 ounce jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained and sliced, 2-3 tbsp of oil reserved

1/2 – 3/4 cup white wine

3/4 – 1 cup chicken stock, low sodium

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

1 Tbsp butter, optional

Method

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 smashed garlic cloves, to season the oil. Season chicken with salt & pepper and coat in the flour, tapping off excess. Add some of the chicken to oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan, cooking them until golden brown on each side. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Be careful to watch the cloves of garlic and be sure to remove them once they appear to be getting too golden. You don’t want them to burn. Repeat with remaining chicken and smashed garlic.

In the same skillet you just cooked all the chicken in add the oil you reserved from the sun dried tomatoes. Into that oil add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. To the artichokes add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften a bit. Next, add the tomato paste and garlic and stir into the vegetables, cooking for 2-3 minutes. At this point I usually add some salt and pepper. Next comes the liquids…add the wine first, allowing it to simmer for a few minutes. Finally add the chicken stock and the fresh thyme. Allow liquids to simmer together for 4-5 minutes. To thicken this liquid mixture a bit, add approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the leftover whole wheat flour to the skillet, whisking to mix.

Add the chicken cutlets back into the skillet, nestling them all in under the veggies, gently, as best as you can. Ideally you want most of the chicken to be submerged into the liquid. It is ok if the tops of a few pieces are not submerged. If you feel you need a bit more liquid, add some more chicken stock. Put a cover on the skillet, lower heat to low and gently simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, turn off heat and add the parsley. If you so choose, you can also add the butter, just to finish the sauce a bit. A little tablespoon of butter won’t hurt!

I always serve this over a creamy white bean puree (recipe coming soon!). However, it would be equally as delicious served over mashed potatoes or white rice.

Chicken Madison

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

6 thin chicken cutlets (they come butterflied in my store, I usually cut them in ½ down the center).
whole wheat flour
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 box crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (not too thin)
1 12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, slightly defrosted, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 7 ounce jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained and sliced, 2-3 tbsp of oil reserved
½ - ¾ cup white wine
¾ - 1 cup chicken stock, low sodium
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
1 Tbsp butter, optional

Method

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 smashed garlic cloves, to season the oil. Season chicken with salt & pepper and coat in the flour, tapping off excess. Add some of the chicken to oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan, cooking them until golden brown on each side. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Be careful to watch the cloves of garlic and be sure to remove them once they appear to be getting too golden. You don't want them to burn. Repeat with remaining chicken and smashed garlic.
In the same skillet you just cooked all the chicken in add the oil you reserved from the sun dried tomatoes. Into that oil add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. To the artichokes add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften a bit. Next, add the tomato paste and garlic and stir into the vegetables, cooking for 2-3 minutes. At this point I usually add some salt and pepper. Next comes the liquids...add the wine first, allowing it to simmer for a few minutes. Finally add the chicken stock and the fresh thyme. Allow liquids to simmer together for 4-5 minutes. To thicken this liquid mixture a bit, add approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the leftover whole wheat flour to the skillet, whisking to mix.
Add the chicken cutlets back into the skillet, nestling them all in under the veggies, gently, as best as you can. Ideally you want most of the chicken to be submerged into the liquid. It is ok if the tops of a few pieces are not submerged. If you feel you need a bit more liquid, add some more chicken stock. Put a cover on the skillet, lower heat to low and gently simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, turn off heat and add the parsley. If you so choose, you can also add the butter, just to finish the sauce a bit.

Oh, do I love pasta! Love it. Crave it. Can’t live without it. I am Italian, afterall. As I get older I do notice it’s harder to keep the weight off, so I try not to overdue it with the pasta. I try to limit my intake to once a week. I also have switched to either multi grain pasta or whole wheat. These little fusilli are multi grain, and I’ll tell you that you can barely detect a difference at all. Whole wheat is a slightly different story. Certainly the pasta is a darker color but also the taste and texture are different and noticeable. And whole wheat pasta is more filling, as far as I’m concerned. Of course, you can make this dish with regular pasta as well, I’m just trying to keep things on the healthier side over here. When I want to make this super healthy I use turkey sausage, but let’s face it, there’s nothing like pork sausage.

I adapted this recipe from Giada and I have been making it for a few years now, so it is a staple, here to stay. Why? Because it’s easy to make, I keep most of the ingredients in my pantry at all times so it’s quick to throw together last minute and…it’s delicious!

Now, some of you might say that frozen artichokes are a bit on the pricey side. And you would be right. They are. But you know what? They are worth it. If you ever found yourself actually buying dozens of whole artichokes (what would be needed for this dish) and cleaning them to finally get down to that small heart in the middle, then I’m sure you would agree with me. SO worth it. Thank you Bird’s Eye for having frozen artichokes to make our lives so much simpler!

Here’s what you will need to serve 4…

Recipe

1 cup (7 or 8 oz jar) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved

1 pound Italian hot & sweet sausages, casings removed

2 (9-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts, slice very large ones in half lengthwise

2-3 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 lb box fusilli, multi grain or whole wheat

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish

1/3 cup (heaping) chopped fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup (heaping) chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Salt & pepper

Method

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a spoon, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes to the same skillet and saute one minute. Add garlic and stir, cook for one minute. Add sun dried tomatoes, salt & pepper, saute one minute. Here’s how things should look right about now…

Now, add the broth and wine and boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm, roughly 1-2 minutes short of directed cooking time on the box. With a large spider spoon remove all the pasta and add to the artichoke mixture. DO NOT throw away pasta water.

Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture, stir to combine well then turn off the flame. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Gradually add some pasta water to the pasta mixture 1/2 cup at a time, if needed. I usually add in almost one full cup of pasta water. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, if needed.

Just before serving I like to sprinkle just a touch of olive oil over the pasta and add some grated parmesan to each individual bowl.

Giada’s original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/fusilli-with-sausage-artichokes-and-sun-dried-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

1 cup (7 or 8 oz jar) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound Italian hot & sweet sausages, casings removed
2 (9-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts, slice very large ones in half lengthwise
2-3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1¾ cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 lb box fusilli, multi grain or whole wheat
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
⅓ cup (heaping) chopped fresh basil leaves
⅓ cup (heaping) chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt & pepper

Method

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a spoon, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes to the same skillet and saute one minute. Add garlic and stir, cook for one minute. Add sun dried tomatoes, salt & pepper, saute one minute.
Now, add the broth and wine and boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm, roughly 1-2 minutes short of directed cooking time on the box. With a large spider spoon remove all the pasta and add to the artichoke mixture. DO NOT throw away pasta water.
Add the pasta, sausage, ½ cup Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture, stir to combine well then turn off the flame. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Gradually add some pasta water to the pasta mixture ½ cup at a time, if needed. I usually add in almost one full cup of pasta water. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, if needed.