Chicken with artichokes and linguine

I really liked the idea of attempting to combine two recipes for chicken cutlets, both from March issues of Everyday Food magazine. I wanted to use the artichokes, capers, and pasta from the “Chicken with artichokes and angel hair” recipe…and from the “Chicken cutlets with white wine and garlic” recipe, I liked the idea of prepping and freezing the chicken ahead of time in white wine, garlic, and melted butter.

The original recipe states that if you are not freezing the chicken, then you can just marinate the chicken in the white wine mixture for 30 minutes.

The only thing I would really change for next time would be to try to get a better sear on the chicken, either through a hotter pan and/or incorporating some butter into the cooking step. I think it’s a delicate balance with chicken cutlets because they are thin and I didn’t want to overcook them.

Chicken with artichokes and linguine
Serves: 4
Source: adapted from Everyday Food, March 2009 and Everyday Food, March 2010

Chicken cutlet freezer prep

Ingredients
8 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, reserving 1/4 cup liquid
2 Tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
8 ounces linguine
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Chicken with artichokes and capers

Directions
1. Place chicken cutlets in a 1-gallon freezer bag. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon melted butter, wine, garlic, and thyme, and whisk to combine. Season with pepper. Pour marinade into bag with cutlets and marinate in refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or you can freeze this and thaw it in the refrigerator the night before).

2. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente and drain, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking liquid for use as needed.

Dinner is served!

3. After marinating (or thawing), remove cutlets from bag and discard marinade. Gently shake chicken to remove liquid and season with salt. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and cook until browned and cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

4. Add broth and reserved marinated artichoke liquid to skillet and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by about half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently stir to combine and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat and cover to keep warm.

5. In a large bowl or the pot used to cook the pasta, add the cooked linguine, a couple of ladle-fuls of sauce from the chicken and artichoke mixture, and the Pecorino Romano. Mix well and if needed, add some of the cooking liquid to adequately coat the pasta. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.