I have been on a real kick cooking from the New York Times Cooking app/site. Planning ahead tip: I get their daily emails and flag dishes that look different to save to my “Recipe Box,” then scroll through when I’m looking for ideas for what to cook for the week.

This recipe for braised chicken with artichokes and mushrooms is amaaaazing…but also amazingly simple. I love anything I can make in one pot and then throw in the oven to finish it while I relax for a little while. (This is also great when you have company, so you can pop it in the oven right before they arrive and have time to relax and chat instead of slaving over the stove.) Braising in the oven gets such great flavors going, too. Before it goes in the oven, you need to brown up the chicken in the pan in a bit of butter to get a nice crust on it — then saute the mushrooms with some flour that will work as the base of the sauce. While the recipe called for two pans, I just used a Le Creuset pot to start — no skillet needed.

The sherry gives the sauce a nice acidity. Serve over rice, pasta, couscous…anything would work. I roasted up some green beans in the oven in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Delish!

TW’s Tips

• Use one pan — no need to dirty two
• Make sure you get the pan nice and hot before you add the chicken to make sure it gets a nice brown sear on it — that’s where you get the good flavor!
• You can also use boneless skinless chicken in this if you have that on hand. I actually used some on the bone and some boneless (call me crazy) since my husband prefers boneless (call HIM crazy — right?)
• Double the artichokes — you’ll be glad you did

Enjoy!

Braised Chicken With Artichokes and Mushrooms

Ingredients

• Salt
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
•  One 3 pound chicken, cut into pieces (or 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ⅔ cup chicken broth or bouillon
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• 1 (12-to-15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the paprika and sprinkle on all sides of the chicken.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the chicken prettily on all sides, in batches, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer the chicken to a large Dutch oven or casserole.

Pour off the butter from the skillet, wipe it clean and return it to the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over them, stir in the chicken broth and the sherry and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Halve artichoke hearts and arrange them between the chicken pieces. Pour mushroom-sherry sauce over them and cook in the oven, covered, for 40 minutes to an hour.