Lemon juice and lemon zest combine with garlic, tarragon and other spices to create this heavenly Lemon Chicken, Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms. The easy, flavorful recipe is a perfect dinner any time of the year. We love it for Easter, Mardi Gras, Sunday dinner-- anytime you want something special that doesn't require a lot of effort.
The flavors are fresh and bright -- artichokes, parsley, lemon, herbs and spices. Richness is added with a little half and half. Chicken tenders are lightly coated and seared, the result is a slightly crisp exterior and tender meat inside. Next they’re sprinkled generously with artichoke hearts and mushrooms, and covered in a velvety sauce and baked.
Chicken Pieces
Simply dredging chicken tenders in flour seasoned with Creole Seasoning (or salt and pepper) and lemon zest, gives them that extra "je ne sais quoi." Then you'll sear them in a skillet with a little olive oil over high heat for one minute on each side.
Next, you nestle the tenders together in a baking pan and add sliced artichoke hearts and mushrooms.
Sauce
Use the same pan you seared the chicken in to make the sauce. Scrape up the bits from the pan and incorporate them into your "roux."
Add butter to the pan, then add flour and heat gently, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.
Stir the flour and fat until it begins to brown.
Add lemon juice to the pan, then slowly add the chicken broth and half and half. Stir constantly. Next add tarragon, garlic, salt and pepper.
Heat the sauce until it's smooth and begins to boil, then turn down the heat and let the sauce simmer five minutes.
Pour the sauce over all the chicken, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. Finally you'll put the baking pan in the oven, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is done.
Garnish
Garnish with fresh parsley and fresh lemon, then serve it while warm over pasta or rice. We love a thin pasta like angel hair. It seems to hold the chicken and sauce just right, bite after bite. Everyone in our family loves Lemon Chicken, Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms. We can eat it again, and again and .... You get the idea!
Enjoy!
Dianna
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Lemon Chicken, Artichoke Hearts & Mushrooms
Ingredients
For Chicken/Coating
- ¾ cups flour for coating
- 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning OR ½ teaspoon pepper + ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 lemon
- 2 pounds chicken breast tenders about 15 pieces
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
For Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour for roux
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 2 teaspoons dried Tarragon leaves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Tony Chacherere’s Creole Seasoning OR ¾ teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup bottled artichoke hearts quartered and drained (8 ounces)
- ½ pound mushrooms; sliced
For Garnish (save until end):
- 1 lemons sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
For Chicken/Coating
- Combine flour, pepper, salt, and lemon zest. Dredge chicken in flour mixture.
- Place olive oil in a large skillet and heat to medium high.
- Add chicken pieces, cooking until chicken is browned on each side (about one minute per side). Set chicken in baking dish lightly sprayed with cooking oil spray.
- Place artichoke hearts and mushrooms around chicken pieces in baking pan.
For Sauce
- Using same skillet, heat to medium. Add butter to pan. Add flour and heat gently, stirring constantly with wire whisk and scraping up browned bits from pan to create a roux.
- Add lemon juice to pan. Slowly add chicken broth, and half and half, whisking constantly. Add Tarragon, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat sauce until it’s smooth and begins to boil. Turn down heat and let sauce simmer sauce for 5 minutes.
- Pour sauce over chicken in pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is done (meat is white when pierced by a knife.)
- Let stand about five minutes, then garnish with sliced lemon and chopped parsley. Serve while warm over rice or pasta.
Suzanne
This looks delicious!