The March 2012 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Carol, aka Poisonive – and she challenged us all to learn the art of braising! Carol focused on Michael Ruhlman’s technique and shared with us some of his expertise from his book “Ruhlman’s Twenty”.
Love is a Thistly Warrior
Good things come to those who wait, and this month’s Daring Kitchen was proof of that fact. When I think of my two favorite braised dishes, I crave fork-tender beef short ribs with crimini mushrooms that have greedily sucked up all of the surrounding juices, and braised chicken thighs with shallots, tarragon and cream. Both are stunning and ever-so-yummy, but are wintry treats perfect for curling up to replete with the roaring fire and snifter of cognac. I wanted something appropriately light and savory for the warming weather here in Arizona, and our host of the month had a perfect suggestion.
On Carol’s list of recommended recipes, she listed Michael Chiarello (swoon!) and his Lemon Braised Artichokes. I thought that it was simple and gorgeous and would pair perfectly with a pan of chicken piccata. Turns out that the two were a match made in heaven, and I was treated to bites that sparkled with lemon, briny capers and tender chicken. You’ve gotta love it when a good plan comes together!
Chicken Piccata with Braised Artichokes
4 artichokes
1/2 c. of olive oil
1 tsp. of dried thyme
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/8 tsp. of black pepper
1 c. of chicken stock
1 1/2 – 2 lbs. of chicken tenders
salt and pepper
flour
6 tbs. of butter
2 tbs. of olive oil
1/2 c. of fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 c. of chicken stock
3.5 oz jar of capers
1/4 c. of chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 400°. Grab a casserole pan and whisk together the olive oil, thyme, garlic, black pepper and chicken stock.
Begin prepping your artichokes by removing all of the outer leaves until you are at the tender, pale yellow center leaves. Cut off the top of the artichoke, leaving the stem and about an inch of the tender yellow leaves. Use a veggie peeler to peel off the outer layer of the stem and then trim off all but one inch of the stem. Halve the artichoke and use a spoon to take out the fuzzy choke. Quarter the artichoke and put the pieces in the marinade in the casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
Cover the casserole dish and bake the artichokes for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.
When there’s about 15 minutes left on the artichoke clock, make your chicken. Season the chicken tenders liberally with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Heat a skillet over high heat and add three tablespoons of butter and the olive oil. Brown the chicken in the hot oil until golden and set aside on a plate. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the hot pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the chicken back into the pan along with the capers, and allow the sauce to thicken a bit, about 2-3 minutes. Right before serving, remove the chicken to a serving dish and top with the artichokes. Add the remaining butter to the pan and stir to thicken the sauce. Add the parsley and give it one last stir before topping the chicken with the sauce. Serve immediately.
I really want to try the braised artichokes. They look wonderful.
Very very easy to make and truly worth it based on the taste. They may become a part of my regular recipe rotation. Yep, that was three R's just now.
This looks wonderful, nice pairing of the braised lemon artichokes with Chicken Piccata! Great job for Daring Cooks, keep it up!
I agree – go, daring cooks, go!
Wow! That looks yummy! 🙂
Thank you!
I love this braised artichokes and chicken combination, just delicious sounding. Will have to give it a try, though I usually don't have the patience to fiddle with artichoke prep, just serve them steamed and whole, letting everyone deal with their own. Well, I do cut off the thorny tips first.
When I first started eating artichokes, I only had them steamed with the little sharp bits cut off. Honestly, that prep is far more work than what's required for these little braised babies. Plus, you can save the pulled leaves to make stock for the base of cream of artichoke soup. Win-win!
What a fantastic pairing – lemon braised artichokes sound delicious, but paired with chicken piccata sounds AMAZING. Really wonderful job!
Awww, you are too sweet! They turned out to be a match made in heaven!
Beautiful job! Your braised artichokes turned out beautifully! (Also, did you update your blog design? It looks awesome!)
Many thanks! And I did give the site some plastic surgery a while back, but it gets botox once and a while 😉
Mmmm…that sounds great. I love chicken piccata and I think the braised artichoke will complement it very well. Great job with this challenge.
Come see me at http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2012/03/daring-k…
I love it too! It's such an easy dish with a big flavor payoff!
Oh my god this sounds SO good! Braised artichokes?? I've never heard of that but I love artichokes all ways, this must be a killer dish! With chicken picatta there really is no where to go wrong here! Yum!
I thank this month's Daring Kitchen Hostess with the Mostess for her inspiration on the braised artichokes. I had never tried this technique before and it was a great success. Will definitely try this again.
This looks fantastic! Great job. I'm never quite convinced by artichokes, but maybe this is the dish…!
In that they are fussy to cook? Or that you just don't like the taste? I think that this would be a good one to try out as a first as the prep is not terribly difficult and the artichokes emerge from the oven lemony and meltingly tender.
YAY! Someone tried the braised artichokes – I thought that this recipe was to die for! And I love Michael Chirallo too 🙂 Your dish is so inspiring and I am so glad you enjoyed the challenged! Well done!
This one is absolutely delicious without the chicken as a topping for pasta or even a last-minute stir in for risotto
Ange, you already know how much I love you, so it's no wonder I've nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award here: http://passioneats.blogspot.com/2012/04/gratitude.html.
What goes around, comes around…Enjoy the weekend!
Ack, Pennie! You just made my fucking day! Can't wait to whip up a post and it's all thanks to you!