Chicken with Artichokes and Other Stuff...

Delicious Meliscious really cooked up a great meal in this dish which she posted from For the Love of Cooking.

My only complaint with this dish is really no one's fault but my own; I used canned artichokes, and I think that gave too much of a vinegar-y taste. I didn't even know you could buy frozen, but I would for sure try them next time.


Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3-4 leaves of basil, chopped
• Zest of one lemon, chopped finely
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for cooking)

Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them, with a mallet, until they are 1/4 inch thick. Place chicken into a large zip lock bag and add the olive oil, minced garlic, chopped basil, lemon zest, sea salt and pepper. Mix so the chicken is evenly coated with marinade. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour.

Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes then flip. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from heat and let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing into bite size chunks.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I used canned)
• 1 handful of grape tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• Cheese tortellini, prepared per instructions
• Juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp butter
• 5-6 basil leaves, chopped
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the tortellini per instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add mushrooms to the hot skillet you cooked the chicken in. Add more oil if needed (I didn't need to). Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes and minced garlic to the pan then stir frequently for 60 seconds. Add the tortellini, chicken chunks, lemon juice, butter, Parmesan, basil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy.