Lemony Chicken and Charred-Artichoke Pasta

Live Life Deliciously by Tara Bench

A handy, helpful, and always-delicious roast chicken is a weeknight meal time-saver. I make two at a time on a weekend, so I have one for midweek recipes. And if you don’t cook on the weekend, those grocery store rotisserie chickens are perfect for making a quick dinner.

You’ll only need a small portion of shredded, cooked chicken for this lemony pasta because I focused on getting in as many perfectly charred artichokes as possible. The cheesy croutons are a heavenly addition and bake while the pasta cooks, but if it’s a busy night, use store-bought croutons or broken crostini.

Parmesan Croutons

• 4 to 6 slices rustic bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan

Pasta

• 12 ounces fresh egg fettuccine or dry fettuccine

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 small shallot, sliced root to tip

• Zest from one lemon

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Make Parmesan croutons: Heat oven to 400˚F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread pieces with melted butter and Parmesan and spread on pan in an even layer. Bake until just golden brown, about 10 minutes; set aside.

2. Cook pasta in very salty water according to package directions, drain.

3. In a cast-iron skillet or heavy-duty nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add artichokes and cook until crispy on one side, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the artichokes and cook until just heated through, about 2 more minutes. Remove artichokes from skillet and set aside.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add butter, salt, and shallots to the skillet. Cook 1 minute then add lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook 1 minute, until the lemon juice reduces and gets concentrated.

5. Stir in cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, water, and reserved pasta. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, until cheese has melted and sauce is warmed through. Add artichokes and shredded chicken.

6. Serve immediately, topped with croutons, parsley, and the remaining Parmesan.

TARA’S TIP:

I used fresh egg fettuccine, which gives this dish a rich chew. If you can’t find fresh pasta, dry works just as well. Canned artichokes can be subbed for the frozen in a pinch. Dry artichokes on paper towels before cooking, and reduce the salt since the canned artichokes will be saturated with the canning brine.

Reprinted with permission LIVE LIFE DELICIOUSLY by Tara ‘Teaspoon’ Bench (2020, Shadow Mountain).