Day 259: Artichoke and Asparagus Chicken

I've neglected to tell you something important!  A week ago I was honored to be part of a podcast on dutch oven cooking with Andy from the Back Porch Gourmet.  I had a great time talking with Andy!  He is a very talented cook and I love his site and there is always something delicious there.  Check it out and be sure to check out the podcast.

On to the recipe!  I've done several of this type of recipe in the past in my search for a favorite, and I think I may have finally found it.  The artichokes give it that extra something special.  I adapted this recipe from Our Family Treat.

Artichoke and Asparagus Chicken
12" dutch oven

3 chicken breasts
1/2-3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped  (I opted for the 3/4 cup)
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of zucchini
1 pound of your favorite pasta, cooked according to package directions (I used bow ties)
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Saute your chicken in olive oil over a full spread of coals. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then saute your veggies. Combine chicken and veggies and keep on low heat while you are cooking your pasta.

Sauce:

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
salt and pepper

Saute garlic in the butter, over a full spread of coals,  just until fragrant. (I used the same coals I cooked the chicken over).  Then add cream. Slowly bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and parsley flakes. Make sure to stir often. Add more cheese if you want your sauce thicker. Then toss the pasta with chicken, sauce and veggies.  Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

The Review

Oh artichokes!  Why did I wait so long to discover your goodness?  Artichokes are like Brussel sprouts, your only THINK you hate them when you're a kid.  But then you grow up and realize what you've been missing.  The artichokes are what really gives this its awesome flavor.  I also really liked that the sauce wasn't as thick and creamy as other similar recipes I've tried.  Even my little kids loved this and I was really disappointed that there weren't any leftovers.  Go ahead and use mushrooms (as they did in the original recipe), or any combination you'd like.  This is a recipe that is easy to adapt to your own tastes.  We gave this an A.