Make Ahead

Roast Chicken Breasts With Mushrooms & Artichoke Hearts

by:
April 12, 2011
4
11 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is an updated version of a recipe that was a staple of my (1960s) childhood. The original is from an old Louisiana Junior League cookbook called Cotton Country Collection. This was a “company coming for dinner” recipe. You browned the chicken breasts in butter, removed them, added flour to make a roux, and then made a sauce with chicken bouillon (made from cubes) and canned artichoke hearts and mushrooms and braised the chicken breasts in the sauce. What made it fancy was 2 tablespoons of sherry added just before serving. My parents were close friends with three couples who had children our ages, and when the kids got married, one of the families hosted a gathering for friends, family and out of town guests, and this dish was always on the menu. It was one of the first things I learned to cook (although I couldn’t get my mind around bouillon or canned mushrooms, even in the 1970’s, so I began tinkering with the recipe then).

Even with fresh ingredients, this is a very simple recipe, and one that can be made year round. I leave the type of mushroom up to you -- it is fine with simple white or cremini mushrooms; a little earthier with shiitake or oyster mushrooms. I like to serve this with couscous, but polenta or small roasted potatoes work equally well.
drbabs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breast halves, skin on, boned if you like
  • 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, chopped fine
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen artichoke hearts (about 10), quartered, defrosted, and drained
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Directions
  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. (If you can, do this early in the day and refrigerate them, covered loosely. This will help the skin crisp up. But it's totally optional.) When you get home, take the breasts out of the refrigerator. Heat oven to 375° F.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts skin side down. Cook 2–3 minutes until skin is golden brown. If you have boneless chicken breasts, brown all sides. Remove chicken breasts to oven-proof dish, and place in oven. Roast breasts for 15 (for boneless) to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
  3. While chicken is roasting, sauté chopped shallots and mushrooms with a pinch of salt in oil and pan drippings (you may need to add a little more oil) until shallots are soft and mushrooms have begun to brown slightly and give off their liquid. Stir in flour and cook over medium-low heat until nutty and brown, stirring frequently, about 3–5 minutes.
  4. Pour in chicken stock, and raise heat, until sauce begins to simmer and starts to reduce somewhat. Reduce heat to low and stir in artichoke hearts, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and rosemary. Stir together and cook over low heat until sauce thickens and is blended together and fragrant. Taste and add salt and black pepper as desired. You can turn the heat off and cover it till the chicken has finished roasting. Just before serving, swirl in a tablespoon of butter if desired.
  5. When the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165° F, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Serve each piece on a bed of sauce, making sure that each serving contains artichoke hearts and mushrooms.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Hark
    Hark
  • bonbonmarie
    bonbonmarie
  • healthierkitchen
    healthierkitchen
  • aargersi
    aargersi

45 Reviews

ella J. October 14, 2016
I loved the sauciness of this : ) But would use sherry next time as I thought the worcestershire flavor came over too strong for me, even though I put in a teaspoon or less.
 
drbabs October 14, 2016
I'm glad you liked it. It's really good with sherry, too.
 
Douglas B. February 13, 2015
I made this w/o artichokes as I did not have any. I love them and can imagine how yummy this would be. I am usually NOT a fan of mushroom gravys yet this one is sumptuous. Salt n peppering the chicken is great as well. thank you
 
drbabs February 13, 2015
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know.
 
jomarie October 20, 2014
I can't phantom substituting out artichoke hearts for anything that's just plain sacrilegious to me. Artichokes are one of my top ten favorite foods of all time. I do think olive oil sauted asparagus dressed with a little lemon juice and wild rice on the side would make this a PERFECT meal. I am trying it as soon as I can.
 
Margie June 18, 2014
Asparagus would be good and I think even blanched brussell sprouts would work
 
Stacey June 18, 2014
Asparagus would be good. I would sauté it so it doesn't get soggy.
 
lydialynn June 18, 2014
Do you have any suggestions for what to substitute for artichoke hearts?
 
Stacey May 22, 2014
Super Delicious.... even my picky teenager loved it!
 
drbabs May 22, 2014
I'm so glad it was a hit. Thanks for letting me know.
 
AntoniaJames February 4, 2014
On our Valentine's Day menu. I'm so looking forward to it. ;o)
 
drbabs February 5, 2014
I'm honored!
 
Margie January 31, 2014
What a wonderful meal. I used skinless boneless thighs and omitted the butter at the end. Everything else was per the recipe. My husband said that it was beyond fantastic. This is a recipe I will do again. What a great easy meal for company.
 
drbabs February 3, 2014
I'm so happy you enjoyed it. thanks.
 
Caitie January 15, 2014
I tried this recipe last night and it was amazing. I think it is one of the best meals I have ever made for dinner. It was super easy and so flavorful. Because I'm trying to slim down, I swapped the skin on bone in chicken for skinless boneless chicken breast. I also left out the butter completely. It tasted so rich, like it was made with butter. Diet food never tasted so good!
 
drbabs February 3, 2014
Thanks, Caitie, I'm so happy you liked it.
 
Hark January 5, 2014
Fantastic recipe, and very easy to make. We ate it with steamed fingerling potatoes. Great wintery comfort food. I thought it might be good with a splash of white wine in the sauce, so I'll be sure to try that next time.
 
drbabs January 7, 2014
So happy you liked it!
 
bonbonmarie December 17, 2013
Looks great! I grew up with a version that included sherry and rosemary, no worcestershire. It was a family favorite for years!
 
healthierkitchen December 16, 2013
I used to get a dish like this in the North End in Boston. I think that one had boneless breasts. Sooo good!
 
AntoniaJames August 27, 2012
How did I miss this?!! I'm so looking forward to preparing this, later this week. Without question, we're all going to love it. ;o)
 
agreen10 May 14, 2012
In your notes you mention that the addition of sherry made it "fancy" but you've omitted it from your rendition. I was just curious as to why. Thanks
 
drbabs May 14, 2012
I used lemon, Worcestershire, and rosemary instead of the sherry. Probably because I didn't have any sherry in the house at the time so I decided to try a different flavor profile.
 
Citygal May 1, 2012
Made this tonight, with pan cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts; canned rather than frozen artichokes, and dried rosemary. Still tasted great!
 
drbabs May 1, 2012
I've done that in a pinch, too. So glad you liked it!
 
Pamela's K. May 8, 2011
We had this for dinner this evening. What a simple, delicious dish. Everyone enjoyed it!
 
drbabs May 9, 2011
Wow--thanks so much for letting me know! I'm happy that you enjoyed it.
 
aargersi April 13, 2011
Yum DrB! Love the story, love the recipe - and also that is is made with things that we generally have in the house - and I need to get some sherry in case we decide to go "fancy" :-)
 
wssmom April 13, 2011
This is great! I never had a copy of the Cotton Country Cookbook, but my mom's well-worn copy of the "I Hate to Cookbook" has must what be a very similar recipe to the original! Your recipe sounds soooooooooo much better!! p.s. where IS that organic chicken farm, anyway?
 
drbabs April 13, 2011
Makinajian Poultry Farm, 276 Cuba Hill Road, Huntington. 631-368-9320. It's literally 2 miles from my house, so please let me know if you decide to take a ride out. I'd love to meet you. (They're closed on Mondays.)
 
mrslarkin April 13, 2011
Sounds so delicious, drbabs. You have the best stories to tell - love it.