Spring Chicken

It’s not exactly spring around here. But the ingredients called out for that title.

I ran across some young artichokes the other day at my local Kroger grocery. It was strange seeing them. I knew just what I wanted to do… boil them, cut them in half and sauté them in garlic and olive oil. That was the plan anyway. And then my “meat tooth” took over. But I still managed to do something fairly healthful and certainly easy. For an even easier version, or if you don’t run across the little artichokes, use the tinned kind. Or the marinated in olive oil, etc. potted version. Both should do just fine.

Chicken tenderloins and an artichoke sauce in a “Roman” garlic sauce.
Serves 2.

1 lb of chicken tenderloins.
Chicken broth (equivalent to 1/2 cup maybe a bit more?)
White wine
6 small artichokes or one tin or pot of the other kind.
Olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 knob of butter (thumb sized)
sea salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried oregano

Boil a pot of salted water.

Cut off the top 1/2 of the artichokes and the stem. Break off any thick outer leaves. Drop into the pot and boil until tender when pricked with the tines of a fork. Remove from the water and drain and cool Cut in half. If they are too mature you’ll need to remove the thistle choke. I didn’t have to.

OR

Open the tin or jar, drain and wait for the right step to add in….

Heat a skillet and add the olive oil. Salt and pepper and sauté the chicken, turning it until it’s browned on all sides. Remove to a plate and tent.

Splash in a little more olive oil and add the artichokes, minced garlic and herbs. As soon as the garlic turns more tan, deglaze the pan with some white wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Add the chicken broth and reduce. Add the tenderloins back into the pan sauce to heat them through. Swirl through a little butter to make a silkier sauce.

I served this with crusty bread, a Muscadet and a green salad tossed with a vinaigrette.