"Chew" on this...

My dear friend, Heather, poses the same question every evening on Facebook: "What's for dinner?" When I have made something special, it's fun to brag about it, but what I like even more is reading all of her other friends' responses. I always get such great ideas when I'm in a rut. Once night, someone posted about a chicken dish that she saw on the daytime talk show, "The Chew" (gag--what a dumb name, am I right?). It was a viewer-submitted contest winner called Donna Giblin's Artichoke Chicken. Now my friend, Jay, pointed out that the name is a little off-putting (took me almost a month to get that joke), but I can report that it is a very easy and very tasty recipe. As it is a one-dish affair, it's easy enough for a work/school night meal.

I would make this again, but it's very similar to a Nigella recipe that I like a little bit better. The only change I would make to this version is to marinate the chicken overnight (or at least the morning of)--if you have the time--for additional flavor and tenderness. I served the baked chicken and veggies (onions, Baby Bella mushrooms, and artichokes) over wide eggs noodles, and I turned the drippings into a pan gravy. YUM!


Donna Giblin's Artichoke Chicken
(Source: The Chew)

3 1/2-4 pound chicken legs and thighs
1 cup artichoke hearts (halved)
1 medium onion (cut into chunks - to match the artichokes)
1 pound white button mushrooms (halved or quartered)
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper (to taste)

Place chicken, skin side up, in a baking pan. Distribute onion, artichoke and mushrooms over the top. Combine olive oil, mustard, red wine, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried spices, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.

Bake at 350º for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour.