Braised Chicken with Artichokes, Shallots, Tomatoes and Olives

October 23, 2023 by 4 Comments

braised chicken

If you’re looking for a one-pan meal thats warm and comforting and easy to make, this is the one for you. A wine braised chicken dish with tender shallots, fresh tomatoes, briny olives and sweet artichoke hearts.

one pan chicken dinner

I suggest dark cuts of meat for this dish, I used bone- in, skin on legs and thighs. Dark meat pieces work very well for braising, they’re very forgiving and tend not to dry out like white meat breasts do.

I served this dish with mashed potatoes but polenta would be amazing, especially in the dead of winter, also couscous and rice would work as well.

plated chicken dish

Comfort food with an intoxicating smell as it’s cooking in the oven, and I can assure you that  the leftovers, ( if you have any), will be just as good the next day!

Enjoy

5.0 from 3 reviews
Braised Chicken with Artichokes, Shallots, Tomatoes and Olives
 
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Braised chicken, warm and comforting a one-pan meal with Mediterranean flavors throughout.
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Recipe type: one-pan meal
Ingredients
  • 5 legs, 3 thighs, bone in, skin on or dark meat pieces of your choice
  • 2 shallots, quartered
  • 1 pint, cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 cup of good white wine
  • a good sized handful of your favorite olives, I used castelvetrano
  • 10 oz. frozen artichokes
  • ½ tube of tomato paste
  • ¾ cup, chicken broth
  • herbs such as parsley, thyme and rosemary
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400
  2. Make sure you use a heavy bottomed pan that goes from stove top to oven.
  3. Pat dry and season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
  4. Get the pan hot then drizzle with olive oil and sear the chicken on both sides til deep golden.
  5. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  6. Add the shallots, garlic and sauté a little bit.
  7. Deglaze with the white wine.
  8. Toss in the fresh sliced tomatoes, chicken broth and tomato paste, combine well.
  9. Place the chicken back in and scatter with some herbs.
  10. Toss in your olives and artichokes.
  11. Drizzle the top with olive oil and place into the oven.
  12. Cook til internal temp reaches 165.
  13. The last few minutes you can stick it under the broiler or if you have a convection setting put it on convection roast til nicely golden.

 

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Butternut Squash Ricotta Tart With Puff Pastry

September 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment

squash torte with ricotta

Butternut squash is hands down one of my favorite veggies. When fall comes around I get excited to see it popping up in all the markets. It’s so versatile and you can make so many different meals using it.

One way I like using it is in a savory tart like this one with a cheesy spinach and ricotta base, the flavors compliment each other so well which brings out the sweetness of the squash.

butternut squash

Now you don’t actually have to cut the squash like I did, you can just cube it up, but if you want to fancy it up a bit and give it a showstopper look, do what I did.

Cut the squash right above the seed section, peel the skin off and scoop out the seeds, now cut side down make thin slices. A little more time consuming but it does give it a pretty look.

squash tart

This time I used puff pastry but in the past I’ve used phyllo and even a piecrust as the crust foundation.

savory tart

I have to say store-bought puff pastry is really time saver, you just defrost and it’s ready to go, and it always turns out nice and crispy!

squash and ricotta

The ricotta mixture is flavored with garlic, grated fontina and pecorino cheese and a good handful of fresh chopped spinach.

savory tart with salad

Serve this with a salad of your choice and you have a great lunch, brunch, light dinner or meatless meal, it’s fantastic and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Butternut Squash Ricotta Tart With Puff Pastry
 
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A savory tart with butternut squash and creamy ricotta cheese, the perfect combination with crispy puff pastry as the foundation.
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Ingredients
  • butternut squash, cut above the seeds, then peeled with seeds scooped out and sliced thin, or just cut in cubes
  • 1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry, defrosted according to directions
  • 2½ cups of ricotta, drained well
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • ¾ cups of grated pecorino or parmesan, plus a little extra
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • 1 cup of grated fontina cheese or grated mozzarella
  • 1 handful of chopped fresh spinach
  • a sprig of thyme for garnish
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
  2. After you slice the squash, place on a parchment lined and olive oiled sheet pan, and also lightly drizzle some olive oil on top. Roast at 400 until just softened, not browned ,about 5 or 6 minutes. Check because ovens vary.Then cool down.
  3. Mix up the filling in one bowl, the ricotta, eggs, garlic, grated pecorino or parmesan, shredded fontina or mozzarella and chopped spinach. Mix well.
  4. On another sheet pan place parchment paper and the puff pastry sheet.
  5. Roll the puff pastry with a rolling pin til it takes. the shape of a rectangle and not a square.
  6. Lightly score a border around the entire edge using a paring knife, then prick the surface inside the border all over with a fork.
  7. Spread the ricotta mixture all over the inside surface but not the border.
  8. Arrange and layer the butternut squash on top of the ricotta mixture.
  9. Brush some olive oil on the border adding a little pepper and grated cheese.
  10. A finishing touch of grated cheese on top of the squash a pinch of salt and pepper and quick drizzle of olive oil all over, then add a few thyme leaves.
  11. Bake at 400 for around 25 to 30 minutes. Check your oven, the bottom of your puff pastry should be nice and crispy golden and the ricotta will be set.

 

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Homemade Chicken Soup With Broken Spaghetti

September 11, 2023 by 1 Comment

homemade chicken soup

Fall is officially the start of soup weather and here’s a good one to start you off on, plus you can keep it in rotation throughout the winter. It’s my homemade chicken soup with broken spaghetti pasta.

It’s a simple basic recipe, not a lot of ingredients, but all the ingredients I promise will yield you a most delicious pot of soup!

chicken soup

Can you add other veggies to it? of course you can, and that’s up to you. The key to this flavorful broth is using chicken thighs with the bone and skin on, you need that, it won’t be the same without it.

pot of chicken soup

There’s two steps, first you you need to make the base, the broth, which comes from simmering the chicken bones with lots of aromatics, once done the aromatics will be removed, the chicken will be pulled out, skin and bones removed and the shredded chicken set aside.

You’ll then place all the shredded chicken as well as fresh chopped veggies and herbs back into the both, season for taste and when the veggies are tender it’s all done.

broken spaghetti

We like to make some broken spaghetti on the side and add it into your bowls as needed, so delicious!

chicken soup with spaghetti

Cold a flu season is around the corner and this is just the kind of comfort chicken soup that you’ll be needing.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Homemade Chicken Soup With Broken Spaghetti
 
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Soup season has officially started, and this soup is just what you need for comfort during the cold and flu season.
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Ingredients
  • FOR THE. BROTH BASE
  • 4- bone in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 2 -1 quart boxes of low sodium chicken broth, or water but I prefer adding the broth
  • 3 large garlic cloves, cut in half
  • 2 celery stalks, cut in half
  • 1 medium onion, cut into quarters
  • 2 large carrots scrubbed clean and cut in half
  • 2 cheese rinds, either Pecorino or Parmigiano
  • a handful of parsley
  • a pinch of dried thyme and salt and pepper
  • a drizzle of olive oil
  • FOR THE COMPLETED SOUP
  • ½ of a large onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 large celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, sliced
  • a handful of parsley
  • ½.- lb. of broken spaghetti, cooked on the side
Instructions
  1. Heat up a large heavy bottom pot, drizzle with olive oil.
  2. Pat dry the chicken thighs and season both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the chicken thighs skin side down and get them golden brown, then flip them over and cook the other side.
  4. Add the 3 cloves of garlic and cook til golden.
  5. Place into the broth, the quartered onion, pieces, carrot and celery halves, cheese rinds, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.
  6. Get it to a boil and simmer low for a couple of hours, give it enough time for the vegetables and chicken to be tender and where you can see the collagen broken down to a gelatine and producing a delicious bone broth, taste for seasoning.
  7. Remove the chicken thighs and let them cool down, then scoop out and discard all the large pieces of veggies, parsley and the cheese rinds.
  8. Pull the skin and bones off the chicken and shred the chicken, then place it back into the flavorful broth along with all your freshly chopped veggies and herbs..
  9. Simmer until your veggies are tender but not mushy.
  10. Serve with your pre-cooked broken spaghetti into your bowls and some sprinkling of grated cheese.
  11. Enjoy!

 

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