Chicken, Hearts, and Herbs by Chef Patrick Connolly

Behind the Recipes

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts, skin on
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. rosemary, chopped

For the garlic-parsley sauce:
2 heads of garlic, separated into peeled cloves
1 qt. heavy cream reduced by half (1pt)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, leaves picked

For the artichokes:
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 large artichokes, cleaned
1 head fennel, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced thin
1 carrot, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 sprig thyme
2 cups white wine
1.5 qt. chicken stock (enough to cover)

For the mushrooms:
15 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, and quartered
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. chopped thyme
1 shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. sherry vinegar

PREPARATION:

For the chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat the canola oil in a large pan on high heat.

2. Season the skin of 4 breasts with salt and pepper. Put the breasts in the oil skin down and turn the heat down to medium.

3. Slowly render/crisp the skin until they are a nice chestnut brown color. Season the flesh side of the breasts with salt and pepper, and flip them, add 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tablespoon rosemary and baste for 30 seconds.

4. Place the breasts in a 350° oven for 12 minutes or so until cooked through.

For the garlic-parsley sauce:

5. Blanch the 2 heads worth of garlic in three separate pots of boiling water - 2 minutes in each pot. Blanch and shock the parsley leaves, then drain very well on a towel and chop. Puree the 1 qt. of double cream, blanched garlic and parsley.

For the artichokes:

6. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, sweat 1 onion, 1 head of fennel, 1 carrot and 4 cloves of garlic. Add the artichokes and bayleaf, thyme, white wine and chicken stock.

7. Cover with a lid or cartouche, slowly braise until tender, cut artichokes into quarters.

For the mushrooms:

8. Heat the oil in a hot pan until it ripples, add the shiitake and sauté. When the shiitake mushrooms have browned lightly, add butter, 2 teaspoons thyme and 1 shallot. Continue to sauté for another minute, lastly add sherry vinegar.

To finish:

9. Smear a bit of the sauce on a plate. Mix the artichokes and mushrooms and plate. Slice the chicken breast and fan over the vegetables. Finish with a little chicken jus.