12 Days of Christmas Treats – winter white edition
Day 6 – chicken and artichoke bake
chicken and artichokes make a good team!
Whenever I think of one cold day after another, comfort food pops into my mind. Especially when the comfort food includes artichokes, cheese, and chicken. This team of flavors are fabulous on their own, but when they are heated up together, they are hard to beat! I really love artichokes in a salad, or steamed with a special dip. Artichokes are a surprisingly delicious addition to this chicken bake. They add just the right amount of tanginess and texture to make this recipe memorable.
save some time and energy and use the canned artichokes!
The first step in making this bake is to bake your chicken. You could probably use a rotisserie chicken if you are in a really big hurry. The artichokes fall in the same category. This is one of the few examples of me using canned anything in a recipe. I think that the canned artichokes are a really great time saver, and they taste delicious too! Once the chicken is cooked and cut in bite sized pieces, they are mixed with the artichokes and put in the bottom of your baking dish.
the perks of living in Wisconsin!
The second step in the recipe is to cook the sauce. Butter and flour are combined on the top of the stove to create a roux. When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, and this is where the magic happens! Especially when that magic is defined as CHEESE. Specifically, white cheddar and asiago melty cheese. There are so many bonuses living in America’s dairy land! The cheese is combined with wine and a few seasonings to create a delectable sauce to pour over the chicken and artichokes.
Once the sauce is complete, all that is left to do is pop it in the oven. You are now 25 minutes from a delicious combination of warm and cozy at its best! In short, when it is cold and windy outside, keep yourself warm inside with this delicious chicken and artichoke bake.
chicken artichoke bake
when it is cold and windy outside, be warm and cozy inside with this chicken and artichoke bake with white cheddar and asiago cheese!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 x 12 baking pan 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: stove top and oven
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts cooked and chopped in bite sized pieces
2 15oz. cans of tender small artichoke hearts
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 /2 cup whipping cream
one tsp white pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dry thyme
3 cups of shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
OPTIONAL INGREDIENT: 1/2 cup of tightly packed fresh spinach leaves)
5–6 fresh thyme sprigs for the top of the bake
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter a 9 x 12 baking dish
Cook chicken and cut into bite sized pieces
Drain artichoke hearts and quarter them lengthwise
Combine chicken and artichokes and place in the bottom of the prepared baking dish
Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium heat
Gradually add flour and whisk until smooth
Add chicken stock, whipping cream, white pepper, and dried mustard
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly
Lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened
Remove from heat and add the wine and cheese
Whisk until smooth
Pour over chicken and artichokes
OPTION: At this point you may choose to tuck some fresh spinach in the baking dish
Bake for 25-3o minutes until golden brown and bubbly
Remove from the oven and serve immediately
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