Chicken Artichoke Bake

Bess Hawthorne
Oct 9
7 min read

Join Leslie Taylor of Fast Well | Feast Well as we explore the surprising health benefits of making your own broth, her step-by-step “salad repair manual,” and her universal salad recipe. Leslie shares the one kitchen item she uses more than any other, as well as the secret to the delicious rice she's known for. You’ll also learn why she likes to start recipes early in the day, and the unexpected way she uses shop towels in her home. We also discuss creative options for place tags, a must-have cleaning cloth that outperforms the rest, and the absolute best napkins you can buy. We're so glad you're here!

Recipes:

Chicken Artichoke Bake

Servings: 8 (by Leslie Taylor)

Ingredients:

One whole chicken, fresh or frozen

2 cans artichoke bottoms (at Safeway)

⅓ cup butter

⅓ cup flour

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

¼ cup white cooking wine

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Homemade Broth:

Optional for making broth -

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 roughly chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

2 chopped celery stalks

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced

1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

3 bay leaves

Any fresh herbs on hand

Serve with:

Magic Rice -

1 cup jasmine rice, 1 ½ cups filtered water,

1 teaspoon salt.

(For this meal, a good amount is 3 cups rice, 4 ½ cups water, 1 tablespoon salt.

Cook according to packge instructions.

Universal Salad recipe

Directions:

1. Start meal in the morning. Place whole chicken (can be taken straight from freezer without defrosting), and place in a stainless steel stockpot. Cover with good-quality water. (If possible, do not use tap water.) Add optional vegetables/herbs/spices for flavor. Simmer on low heat for 4 hours. Alternatively, you could place the whole chicken covered in water in a crockpot and simmer on low overnight.

2. When the chicken meat is falling apart, place on a wooden cutting board with deep grooves to catch juice. Allow to cool. Wearing gloves, use your hands to pull large chunks of meat from the bone. Discard bones. Give cartilage pieces to your dog or cat. Save skin. Cut the large sections of meat into bite sized pieces, placing in a large baking dish. Puree skin with 1 cup of broth in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add to broth. Strain broth and discard all vegetables/spices. Put aside 2 cups of broth. The rest can be frozen in glass jars for later use (only fill until 2 inches from top for expansion.)

Chop artichoke bottoms into bite-sized pieces and place in baking dish with chicken.

To make the roux, place ⅓ cup butter, ⅓ cup flour, and 2 minced garlic cloves in a medium saucepan, and saute for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat so that flour loses its raw taste. Turn heat up to medium, and slowly add in about 2 cups of broth until thickened, whisking vigorously so lumps don’t form. Add white wine, heavy cream, rosemary, and salt, and continue to heat until a slow boil forms. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan. Pour over chicken and artichokes in baking dish and stir gently. Top with additional 1 cup of freshly shredded parmesan. Can be kept in warm oven until ready to serve. Just before serving, stick under broiler to brown the Parmesan for a few minutes--watch closely so it doesn't burn.

Serve with hot rice.

Salad:

Your Salad Repair Manual - by Leslie Dennis Taylor

Tried and True Salad Recipes Plus My Universal Salad Recipe

Salad repair manual:

· Never Use Iceberg Lettuce for Salad

· Store-Bought Dressing Is Out

· The dressing is never, I repeat, NEVER served on the side.

· Finely Chop All of the Ingredients, Especially the Lettuce

· Thoroughly Coat Lettuce Before Adding Toppings

· Buy Uncut Lettuce

Universal Salad Recipe

1. Start with any kind of lettuce (except iceberg or spinach): baby greens, romaine, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, kale, etc.

2. Pick any kind of fruit: sliced strawberries, tart apples, blueberries, blackberries, fresh peaches, fresh pears, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries, etc

3. Pick any kind of nut on hand: sliced almonds, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, toasted hazelnuts, brazil nuts, fresh coconut, macadamia nuts, etc

4. Pick any kind of cheese: feta, goat cheese crumbles, brie, blue cheese, Dubliner (one of my favorites, so nutty), smoked gouda, camembert, etc

5. Choose a white balsamic vinegar to pair with it. I get mine from a local Ampersand store but if you don’t have one in your area, you can order these online. I’ve also seen them at health food stores. I always keep at least two or three fruity ones on hand plus one tart one. Currently, I have peach and strawberry plus one called Mojito (which contains no alcohol) but it has a bright citrusy taste, as my tart one. It's fun to go to the store and taste test.

Have a good quality extra virgin olive oil on hand.

Please note: the white balsamic vinegars are what make these salads really something. They are a little pricey but you need only a small amount so they last for a long time. (They also make great gifts. You can ask for a bunch of them for your next birthday.)

Vinegars | ampersand-oil

Directions on putting it together:

Have all the ingredients prepped ahead of time. Then just before guests arrive, make the salad. Toppings are heavy so if you mix the salad too much after they’ve been added, they fall to the bottom. Therefore, I like to follow this technique. Sprinkle a little olive oil and vinegar on the lettuce. Add fresh ground salt and pepper. Toss for 10 seconds or so. Taste. Sprinkle a little more dressing, add more salt & pepper, toss again, taste again. Continue until your lettuce is perfectly coated but not dripping.

The key is to keep tasting this delicate and delicious creation of yours until it’s just right. Pay attention to the delightful combo of the sweetness of the fresh lettuce and the tang of dressing.

When the lettuce is perfectly coated, add the toppings and only slightly toss to blend them onto the top layer of lettuce. The toppings will continue to fall as people serve themselves.

Now Get Creative

This is where you get to be in charge and make a different master salad every night.

Just for inspiration, here are some of the combinations that have worked wonderfully.

The one I make most often is butter lettuce, strawberries, goat cheese, toasted almonds (I sometimes candy the almonds for special occasions), and olive oil, plus any fruity white balsamic (strawberry, peach, raspberry, etc).

Here are some more I've done:

Butter lettuce drizzled with strawberry white balsamic and olive oil topped with blueberries (or raspberries or any berry that the farmer’s market has), macadamia nuts, and grated Dubliner cheese (or brie or Reypenaer).

Leaf lettuce drizzled with olive oil and Mojito balsamic, topped with tart apples, blue cheese, and pistachios.

Romaine drizzled with olive oil and mojito balsamic, topped with mandarin oranges, almonds, and sesame seeds (I skipped cheese for this combo).

Baby greens drizzled with olive oil and peach balsamic vinegar, topped with fresh peaches (have also done pears), feta, and hazelnuts (love to candy these if I have extra time).

Butter lettuce drizzled with olive oil and strawberry white balsamic, topped with blackberries that were on sale, shredded havarti we had on hand, and some nuts I found in the pantry (don’t remember which ones).

Other Recipes Discussed:

Sausage Broccoli Soup

(submitted by Leslie Taylor)

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock

1 package of 5 brats or Italian sausage (not pre-cooked)

1 pound pasta shells

3 pounds broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces

Pinch red pepper

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Pour stock into large pot and turn heat on high to bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, begin browning the sausage over medium heat until dark brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Turn often and pierce with a fork while browning. Once they are dark brown outside, you can remove one at a time and begin slicing, while continuing to cook the ones left in the pan. It’s okay if the middle of the sausages are still pink; you just want them cooked enough to hold together while you slice them. After each link is sliced, slide slices into pan and let them cook while you remove the next link. When all the links are sliced, continue browning the slices until dark on all sides.

3. When stock boils, add pasta shells if you are within 10 minutes of eating. If not, turn heat on low and wait until you are almost ready to eat. After pasta has boiled for 5 of the 10 minutes, add broccoli and sausages and boil all for 5 more minutes. Add a pinch of red pepper.

4. Eat immediately after 5 more minutes, topping each bowl with Parmesan. (If you expect a lot of leftovers, you could cook the pasta separately and add it bowl by bowl so it doesn’t get soggy for leftovers.)