Carciofo Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Recipes

ARTICHOKE-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line sheet pan with aluminum foil and treat with nonstick cooking spray.
• Slice chicken breast in half carefully and open up to a larger piece (butterfly).
• Salt and pepper both sides.
• Mix next 7 ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup mozz cheese for the topping.
• Place 1 Tbsp of filling on each opened breast and fold over gently.
• Bake for 30 min or until chicken is done. (this could vary due to the thickness of the chicken breast and your oven).
• Take out and top each breast with 1 Tbsp of mozz cheese, a bit of reserved minced red onion and italian seasoning.
• Put back in the oven for 5 min, or until cheese just starts to melt.

CARCIOFI RIPIENI (STUFFED ARTICHOKES)

Steps:

• Remove as many as the outer leaves of the artichokes as look tough, bruised or split. Don't worry about taking off too many; there are plenty under there. Trim the stem, but not too far, and create a flat bottom for the artichokes. Cut off about 1/2 inch of the tops with a sharp blade.
• Rinse each artichoke under water, and place in a large bowl of water into which you have squeezed half the lemon. This acidulated water will keep them from turning brown on their cut edges.
• Drain the artichokes upside down on a clean dish cloth, while you prepare the filling. Put all the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a bowl and mix well. Now, hold each trimmed artichoke over the bowl, and spread the leaves with the fingers of one hand, while filling the gaps with a teaspoon and the bread crumb mixture. The goal is to get as much of the filling distributed as evenly as one can.
• Place all the filled artichokes in a baking dish, and liberally pour olive oil to taste over each one - nearly a tablespoon for each is about the right amount. Pour a scant cup of water, or even water and white wine, into the baking dish. Cut the remaining piece of lemon up, and tuck around the artichokes. Cover securely with foil, and bake at 350F for about 1 and 1/2 hours. The leaves should pull out easily when they are done.
• These should be cooled a bit before serving. Enjoy.

POLLO AL CARCIOFI (CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Trim the artichokes and cut them into halves or wedges, about 1-1/2 inches wide; soak them in acidulated water. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Cut it up into 10 or 12 pieces (including the backbone) and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat the olive oil in the big saucepan over medium-high heat and lay in the chicken pieces without crowding-cook them in batches if necessary. Brown the pieces for about 3 minutes, turn and cook another 3 minutes until each is nicely colored on all sides. Remove the pieces to a platter or bowl. When the chicken is all out of the pan, drop the crushed garlic into the hot fat and cook it for a minute or two, until sizzling. Lift the artichoke wedges out of the water and drop them, still damp, into the saucepan. Stir well and season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the peperoncino. Cook the artichokes for 4 or 5 minutes, tossing them often and deglazing the browned bits on the pan bottom. When the artichokes are dry and starting to take on color, pour in the wine and cook over high heat, stirring, until it is nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and 3 cups of water; slosh the tomato containers with some of the water to rinse them. Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady bubbling and cook the artichokes and sauce for about 15 minutes. Return all the chicken pieces (and any accumulated juices in the platter) to the saucepan, submerging them in the sauce. Cover the pan, get the sauce perking again and cook chicken and artichokes together for about 40 minutes. The chicken should be nearly done, the artichokes tender and the sauce somewhat reduced. Set the cover ajar-or remove it altogether-and continue cooking 15 minutes or more until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken and artichoke pieces. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away or-for the best flavor-let the chicken cool in the pot and reheat later. If the sauce has thickened, stir in a bit of water. Serve hot from the pan or from a big bowl, if you prefer. Sprinkle over the parsley just before serving.