Artichoke Chicken in the Pressure Cooker
This dish was inspired by a photo of garlic chicken, artichokes and arugula sent to me by a good friend. He was traveling for business and enjoyed the dish so much that he ate it two nights in a row! It made me think about my favorite combination of spinach, artichokes and mushrooms and I thought that it could be a perfect easy pressure cooker recipe. The experiment was so good that I wrote it up to share with all the artichoke mushroom lovers out there. This is one of those dishes that is easy to make but eats like a treat! And, you can freeze any leftovers to make your own “frozen dinner.” If you are watching your carbs, serve it on a bed of baby spinach or arugula. If you aren’t, add a scoop of Carolina white rice to sop up the rich broth.
Makes 8 servings
½ cup or 1 stick unsalted butter
2 large shallots, sliced
4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus more to taste
2 cups chicken stock (or distilled water + demi packets)
1 cup white wine
10 fresh thyme stems
2 14-ounce cans of artichoke hearts in water (I like Roland brand)
1 pint large cherry tomatoes washed and cut in half
Butter and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound of sliced mushrooms
1 large red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup crème fraiche or sour cream
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese plus more for topping
Favorite seasoning salt to finish
Baby Spinach or arugula [and rice] for serving
Using the sauté function of your pressure cooker, melt the butter and add the shallots and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the shallots and garlic become translucent but do not brown. Turn off the sauté function and add the chicken breasts, salt, pepper, broth, white wine, thyme, artichokes and cherry tomatoes. Set the pressure cooker on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in olive oil and butter. Add a pinch of salt. Once they are done, remove from pan and set aside. Add a little more butter and olive oil and add onions. Sauté until caramelized but not too brown and add a pinch of salt and the Balsamic Vinegar. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté together for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat.
Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally—this will take another 15-20 minutes. Once the pressure has been released, add the mushrooms and onions and stir. Add the crème fraiche and parmesan cheese and stir. Simmer for 20-30 minutes more. Taste and season as necessary with a finishing salt or more salt and pepper.
To serve, fill a shallow bowl with baby spinach and rice, or just baby spinach and ladle hot chicken and broth over. The hot broth will wilt the spinach. Garnish with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese.
You can freeze any leftovers and reheat with an additional 1 cup of chicken stock. [Note: The chicken and vegetables tend to absorb all the liquid once it is cold and you will need to add additional stock to the frozen artichoke chicken.]
ALL RECIPES ©ELIZABETH KARMEL 2020