Just a little note about the image of the Chicken & Artichoke Stew…
I like it. It’s not a glamor shot. I wouldn’t submit it for a food photography contest but something about it is beautiful because this is what it looks like when you’re cooking in real life. Not perfect like most of the photos you see on blogs. Give me your thoughts on this. Do I need to replace it with a prettier picture?
So I’ve been making this Chicken and Artichoke Stew recipe for years. It comes from a recipe by Lidia Bastianich in her book Lidia’s Italy. They recipes come from 10 regions throughout Italy and are simple to prepare.
At the first hint of Spring, I scour farmers markets for the first of the seasons artichokes. In this recipe, I prefer to use either the baby artichokes or medium sized ones. They are much easier to prepare than the large globe artichokes. In a pinch, you could use frozen artichokes or even better, these grilled artichokes from Trader Joes. I have not been able to get my hands on them lately but they would work well in this Chicken and Artichoke Stew.
What I like about it
Well first of all it has fresh baby artichokes in it. Then there is the chicken, garlic and tomatoes, so how could I go wrong? It is a terrific spring or summer meal that can be prepared ahead of time, reheated and enjoyed later.
When I serve this dish, I usually like to serve it over pasta or wide egg noodles but it would be equally good as a sauce for polenta or rice. Another option would be to simply lap up the sauce with some nice crusty Italian bread. This dish though not complicated is a bit more involved than most of my recipes but I think it is worth the extra effort and time.
If you have any leftovers, it may be even better the second day!
Serve this with a simple Ceasar or the Radicchio and Pecorino Romano Salad.
PrintChicken and Artichoke Stew
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of chicken thighs and breasts
- 1 lemon
- 1 –1/2 pounds of small artichokes
- 1– 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1– 28 ounce can of San Marzano plum tomatoes
- Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare artichokes
- Fill a large bowl with water. Squeeze a whole lemon into the water then throw the 2 halves into the water.
- Pull off all tough outer leaves until you get to the tender light green leaves.
- Trim off the tip of the stem then cut off the dark skin on the stem.
- Cut off the leaf tips with a serrated knife, about 1/4 inch, then cut artichoke in half lengthwise.
- Scrape out and remove the choke (the pointy, rough inside of the artichoke) using a paring knife and the edge of a spoon. If you are using baby artichokes you can skip this step.
- After cleaning each artichoke, immediately place into a bowl full of acidulated water (water with lemon to prevent artichokes from darkening). If you are using larger artichokes, cut each half into quarters.
Chicken
- Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken 3-4 pieces at a time. Brown for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove pieces to a large plate and finish browning remainder of the chicken.
- Drop the garlic into the pan, cook for 1 minute, add damp artichokes into the pan. Add red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the artichokes begin to brown and to dry out.
- Pour in the wine and cook another 3 minutes until it is nearly evaporated.
- Pour in the tomatoes and 3 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil then adjust the heat to medium to keep at a steady bubbling and cook for 15 minutes.
- Return all the chicken and juices that have accumulated on the plate and submerge into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 40 minutes.
- The chicken should be nearly done and artichokes getting tender. Remove the lid and continue to cook another 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Lastly, this is not a necessary step but I like to let the stew cool off then remove the chicken from the bones.
It never hurts to sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you would like to use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts, skip the browning stage.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Chicken, Chicken & Artichokes, Artichokes, Stew, Tomatoes
4 Comments
Hi Lisa, this sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Could you use skinless & boneless chicken?
Hi Lynne,
You can definitely use skinless boneless thighs or breasts. If you do, you can skip the browning portion of the recipe!!
xoxo
My stew was delicious! I used boneless chicken and fresh artichoke as well as a bag of frozen artichoke hearts. I think I’ll save myself the extra work and just use frozen hearts next time. They added a wonderful flavor and texture.
Thanks Lisa!
Hi Stacey, so glad you jumped right in and tried one of the adventurous recipes. It will definitely be easier next time with the frozen artichokes!!
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