I haven’t made this recipe is ages but saw a can of artichoke hearts in my pantry this morning. Pulled some chicken from the freezer and this is on the menu tonight. This simple dish goes together in about 10 minutes, bakes in 1 hour while you are free do to other things. Is this one EVER delicious! Even my husband likes this recipe and he’s not particularly fond of artichokes! He refuses to eat the leaves dipped into butter when I make them. But when he was finished wolfing this down at dinner, he said “Be sure to post this on your blog.” That’s the best compliment I can get. It owes its unique flavor to the Shawarma Spice Blend in the mayo. It brings so much to the final flavor profile. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets. With all this dairy, this recipe is not suitable for Paleo followers.
NOTE: I discovered that the reheated leftovers are even tastier than on first baking!! So this dish, if serving to company, might be better made a day ahead, only partially cooking/browning the chicken for 35 minutes and removing from oven. Refrigerate overnight and allow it to finish cooking/browning the next day as it is warming up. 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
3 large chicken thighs
3 large chicken drumsticks
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. + 2 T. my Shawarma Mayonnaise
½ c. parsley, chopped
2 oz. yellow onion, chopped fine
1 can (15 oz) artichoke hearts, drained or 1 c. marinated salad artichokes, cut in halves, rinsed well
Dash sea salt
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper
3 T. melted butter for basting
DIRECTIONS: Remove the chicken from the bones, leaving the skin on as it adds so much flavor. You can boil the bones for some great stock for future use. I cut each piece of the meat into two smaller pieces. Set meat aside for now. Preheat oven to 350º and lightly oil a ceramic 9×13 baking dish.
Soften the cream cheese by your preferred method. I nuke mine in a glass mixing bowl on DEFROST for 2-3 seconds. Stir in sour cream and mayo and blend well with a rubber spatula. Add chopped parsley, onion, salt and pepper and stir again. Fold the chopped artichoke hearts gently into the creamy mixture. Spoon the artichoke mixture into the oiled baking dish and spread evenly. Place the pieces of chicken, skin side up, on top of the mixture. Mine were slightly touching in my dish, but they shrink during cooking. Using a brush, baste meat with a bit of the melted butter. Sprinkle with another dash of salt and black pepper. Pop into 350º oven and bake for 1 hour. Baste again with melted butter at the 20 minute mare and again at 40 minutes cook time. Remove from oven at the 1 hour mark when chicken should be golden brown. Serve with your favorite green salad or green veggie side dish.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings, each contains
529 calories, 50 g fat (reduce dairy items a bit to lower fat), 6.68 g carbs, 2.00 g fiber, 4.68 g NET CARBS, 22 g protein, 468 mg sodium
Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes 