Chicken with Creamy Artichoke Sauce
Chicken and artichokes are a natural pairing, especially when combined in a lemony cream sauce. This recipe makes plenty of sauce, so it's great served on top of something to catch the goodness, like orzo or rice.
Chicken and artichokes are a natural pairing, especially when combined in a lemony cream sauce. This recipe makes plenty of sauce, so it's great served on top of something to catch the goodness, like orzo or rice.
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4-6 chicken thighs (bone-in skin removed)
- 1/4 cup pancetta (diced, from a 1/2-inch-thick slab, or c
- 1 yellow onion (halved lengthwise and thinly sliced about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup dry vermouth (or dry white wine)
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium store-bough
- 12 ounces artichoke hearts (frozen and defrosted do not use marinated artichokes)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)
- 2 tablespoons italian parsley (chopped fresh)
- Carbohydrate 0.815972915957523 g
- Cholesterol 10.1893750129832 mg
- Fat 4.43970833756289 g
- Fiber 0.00599999983145428 g
- Protein 0.154202083524834 g
- Saturated Fat 1.94607500228253 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (97g)
- Sodium 21.3401432326864 mg
- Sugar 0.809972916126069 g
- Trans Fat 0.187605000200415 g
- Calories 43 calories
Step-by-step
- Brush the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Select Sauté and adjust to More/High heat. When the pot is hot, brown the thighs meaty-side down in batches until browned, 4 minutes. (Alternatively, broil the oiled and seasoned chicken thighs on a foil-lined baking sheet until browned, 6 minutes.) Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender, 5 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook for 1 minute to burn off some of the alcohol. Press Cancel.
- Add the chicken, any accumulated juices from the plate, and the broth to the pot. Put the artichokes on top of the chicken, but do not stir them in. Lock on the lid, select the Pressure Cook function, and adjust to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is in the “Sealing†position and that the “Keep Warm†button is off.
- When the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes and then quick-release the remaining pressure. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and artichoke hearts to a serving platter and loosely tent with foil.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Add the mixture to the pot, select Sauté, and adjust to Normal/Medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and bubbling, 2 minutes. Add the cream and lemon juice to the pot and stir to combine. Press Cancel. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and artichokes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Most cooks ruin this dish by dumping marinated jarred artichokes straight into the pressure cooker, introducing oils and vinegars that break the dairy emulsion before it forms. Frozen artichoke hearts lack those interfering preservation acids, providing a clean vegetal base that absorbs pork fat from the pancetta during the ten-minute high-pressure cycle. Deglazing with dry vermouth achieves a vital chemical purpose: wine acids lower the pH of the cooking liquid just enough to break down tough connective tissues in the chicken thighs without curdling the heavy cream added later. Cornstarch requires direct heat to gelatinize its starch granules fully, which is why thickening must occur after pressure release rather than during the sealed phase. Whisking that cornstarch slurry into simmering broth at medium heat traps moisture inside the protein matrix, yielding a gloss that clings to poultry surfaces instead of pooling watery runoff on the plate. Pairing the poultry with dry white wine originates from traditional French braising methods where ethanol strips hydrophobic compounds from onions, releasing trapped aromatics into the pan juices.
