Chicken Artichoke Casserole

This flavorful casserole is a combination of chicken and artichokes in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce which is then topped with herb-crumbs. Serve this saucy chicken mixture over noodles or rice, add a vegetable, and the meal is complete. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tbsp. butter, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. (9 ounces) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. minced fresh savory or 1 tsp. dried - see note
1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried - see note
hot cooked noodles or rice

1. In a skillet, saute chicken in 1 tbsp. butter until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken and artichokes in a 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, melt remaining butter; stir in the flour and nutmeg until smooth. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted. Spoon over the chicken.
3. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and herbs; sprinkle over the chicken.
4. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Serve over noodles or rice.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings
Note: I use 1-1/2 tsps. dried savory and omit the thyme.

Turkey Artichoke Quiche

A year or two ago on Thanksgiving weekend, when I was in need of something to feed my family for brunch, I thought of making a quiche. Because of that need, a Broccoli Cheddar Quiche was created, the recipe will be shared later, but from that recipe I created this quiche this week for dinner. We love the combination of poultry, in this case turkey, and artichokes in a casserole, so I figured it might work well in a quiche. We thought it was very good, maybe your family will, as well. Quiche is a nice change of pace; not something usually found on the family menu as it is a little bit more work with the pie crust, but so worth the effort. Blessings...

Recipe:
Pastry for a 10-inch one-crust pie
1 cup cooked chopped turkey or chicken
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts, from a 13.75 ounce can, well drained
1/3 cup minced onion
1-2 tsps. butter
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 few grinds white pepper
1/2 tsp. Fines Herbes
1 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

1. Line 10-inch pie plate or 10-inch quiche dish with pastry. Make high fluted edge and set aside.
2. In small frying pan over low heat, melt butter. Add onion and fry until golden in color, remove pan from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Carefully spread cooked onion in pie plate.
5. Sprinkle turkey, cheese and artichokes over onion.
6. Whisk together last 6 ingredients in a medium size bowl until well combined. Carefully pour cream mixture into pie plate.
7. Bake 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake another 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cover crust last 10 minutes if it is browning too quickly. Remove quiche from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6 main dish servings
Note: Fines Herbes is a blend of chervil, minced parsley, French tarragon and chopped chives that is not very popular, but very good in a quiche or vegetable dish.