Chicken Francese with Artichoke Hearts & Capers

I never make chicken francese. It’s just one of those dishes that’s always served at parties, buffets, weddings, or any special event, and I typically don’t order it because it is so “done”.  However, last night I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on-hand and I was at a loss for what to do with them.  Normally, I don’t purchase boneless, skinless chicken breasts- they are bland, they get dry, and hey- after a lifetime of trying to lose weight, they’re a little boring.  I’m a boneless, skinless chicken thigh kind of girl- they have much more flavor and are normally much less expensive than the breasts.

So- what to do with the chicken breasts?  I did a little searching on Food Network online and wound up combining a few recipes to come up with Chicken francese with Artichoke Hearts & Capers.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thin to about 1/3″ inch.

all-purpose flour for dredging seasoned with salt & pepper

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 of white onion sliced thin

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped 

1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained

2 tablespoons of capers (get the Goya brand- much less expensive than the Italian brand)

1/2 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup of white wine

1/2 lemon with rind sliced into very thin rounds

salt & pepper to season

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat.  Dredge pounded chicken breasts in flour and fry in olive oil 1-2 minutes per side until golden.  Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, onions, and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently so garlic doesn’t scorch.  Add drained artichoke hearts, capers, chicken broth and wine and turn heat back to medium-high.  Simmer until liquid reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes.

Once liquid reduced, add chicken breasts back to pan, making sure to slightly submerge in cooking liquid.  Place 2 lemon rounds on each chicken, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice pilaf.  Since I’m perpetually on a diet, I ate mine with steamed brussel sprouts