Chicken, Prosciutto and Artichoke Sauce

March 13, 2015

Today I made this dish. It's called Chicken, Prosciutto, and Artichoke Sauce. Artichokes are new to me and I've only had it a few times.  To tell you the truth, they're a little scary looking. I've seen the plant before and have been tempted to try to grow it as a gift for my husband. He really enjoys funny looking plants. Maybe one day.

Chicken, Prosciutto, and Artichoke Sauce

GTLF: Pasta Sauce p. 19

Serves 4, working time 40 min., 40 min. total time

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 C plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped prosciutto or Canadian bacon (2 oz.)

2 carrots quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 rib celery, quartered and thinly sliced

10 oz. lasagna noodles, broken crosswise into thirds

9 oz. package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed  and coarsely chopped

1/2 C dry red wine

1 C canned no salt added tomatoes, chopped with their juices

1 C reduced sodium chicken broth, de fatted

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried thyme

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 C frozen peas

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking over medium heat. Add the prociutto and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly crisped, about 3 minutes. Add the cartots and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until just tender. Drain well.

3. Meanwhile, add the artichokes to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the artichokes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook until the wine has almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, sat, and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the chicken, and cook until the chicken is just barely cooked through, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the peas to the skillet, return to a boil, and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Toss the sauce with the hot pasta, divide among 4 bowls and serve.

Nutritional Information: 8 g fat, 510 calories, 1.5 g sat. fat, 71 g carbohydrate, 38 g protein, 61 mg. cholesterol, 837 mg sodium.

Tips:

1. I have very little experience with artichoke hearts. For this reason, I don't know how the artichoke hearts that are frozen differ from those preserved in water.  I used those preserved in water. In step 3, the directions state that the hearts 'should be added to the sauce and cooked until tender for 15 minutes'. I felt that they were already tender when I took them out of the jar, so I didn't want to cook them for the full amount of time. Still, I monitored them carefully and when I felt they were very tender, and the vegetables around them also felt tender, then I continued. In the end, I don't know how this affected the dish. I guess time will tell and with experience I'll look back on this blog and be aghast at my questions.

2. I feel I've had enough experiences with prosciutto and Canadian bacon, and personally, I enjoy the taste of the Canadian bacon better than the prosciutto.