Braised Chicken with Artichokes, Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes + Broccolini

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Why we love it:

We’ve been making this recipe for many years, sometimes adding capers at the end, sometimes not. We’ve tried a wide variety of proteins too - written here with chicken thighs as our favorite, but it’s also wonderful with halibut or cod filets. It’s simple to prepare but does take up to 40 minutes because you really want that fall apart chicken.

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Ingredients

¹⁄₂ Yellow Onion
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
2 pounds Chicken Thighs (if you sub boneless, reduce to 1.25 pounds)
3 teaspoons Kosher Salt (divided)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon Black Pepper (freshly ground)
2 cups Chicken Stock (though vegetable stock is ok too)
1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes (or other yellow or white, thin skin potato)
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (plus more to taste, for serving)
1 bunch Broccolini
1 Lemon (zest and juice)
1 15-ounce can Artichoke Hearts (or artichoke quarters)

Cooking Instructions

1. AROMATICS

Thinly slice the onion in skinny half moon shapes. Mince the garlic.
2. SAUTÉ

Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
3. CHICKEN

Add the chicken thighs to the pot and add about 1/3 of the salt (about 1 teaspoon) and all of the pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
4. STOCK

Add the stock to the pot and cover it. Bring to a boil, then as soon as its boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and find a simmer. You want steady bubbles, but nothing big enough to jostle the chicken around too much.

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, return to gently stir once or twice during this time.
5. POTATOES

Meanwhile, make the potatoes. Wash the potatoes, scrubbing the skin if needed. Slice into ⅓” thick rounds. Place in a pot and cover with cold water. Add another 1/3 of the salt (about 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil and cook for 12-16 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender.

Drain them well and return to the hot pot.

Add the butter to the hot potatoes and stir a bit to help it melt. Add the remaining olive oil, and the final 1/3 of salt, and use a fork to mash up the potatoes. You’re aiming for a consistency that is soft and creamy but with some chunks in it still for texture.
6. BROCCOLINI

Trim the very end of the broccolini. Set them up to steam in a steamer insert or basket with an inch or two of water. Put the lid on and steam for about 5 minutes until bright green and crisp tender.
7. ARTICHOKE + LEMON

Return to your stew after the 20 minutes of simmering have passed. The chicken should be fork tender but the skin is beige and soggy, it did its job to keep the chicken moist. You have 2 options -

1. Pluck the skin off if you won’t eat it anyway.

2. Lift the chicken thighs out of the pot and place them on a plate. Heat a non-stick or cast iron pan over high and melt in an additional Tablespoon of butter. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear until very golden and crisp, about 5-6 minutes.

Either way, the next step is to stir in the zest and juice of the lemon, and add the drained can of artichokes. Stir and heat through, about 2 minutes.
8. SERVING

Plate a scoop of potatoes, topped with chicken. Spoon the sauce generously over top and serve the broccolini on the side. If desired, top it with salt and butter to taste.

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Substitutions

PALEO:

serve over mashed squash, cauliflower or sweet potatoes instead
STOCK:

if you didn’t make the tortellini en brodo recipe this week, you may have some extra stock after this dish. It will keep for a week in the fridge or freeze it for another use!
INSTANT POT:

reduce stock down to 1 cup and toss it all in! (Leave the artichoke out and stir in at the end, but do add the lemon zest and juice). Cook on high pressure for about 18 minutes

Kid Friendly Version

How to Tweak This Recipe for Kids:

once out of the braise, this chicken is fairly basic. Pre-shred the chicken and serve out of the sauce, away from artichokes for choosy kids

Prep Ahead & Use It Up

Cook potatoes ahead. Reheat over medium heat, stirring often until hot. You can add more butter or olive oil if they feel dry
Braise the chicken through the end of step 4, then chill it. To reheat, pull out the chicken pieces and sear them skin side down – this will make it nice and crispy and deeply golden. Heat the rest of the stew over medium heat, then finish off the flavoring and add the chicken in again to serve