If I lost a bet and had to cook dinner for someone else other than Justin and I, this is the meal I'd make. It's suprisingly easy, yummy, and hard to mess up. Once again I have to thank my ex-roomate Laina for introducing me to this pseudo one pot wonder! It's the perfect meal for cold days, but it's so delicious that we eat it year round anyways. A classic in my short lived recipe book and one of Justin's favorites. When it's my turn to cook, and this seldomly happens, I can count on this dish to be a crowd pleaser.. Mind you the crowd is only me and Justin. Without further ado I present to you Jime's classic Chicken & Artichoke Meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/3 pounds chicken breasts, salted and peppered
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes, or to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper or to taste
• 1 1/2 cup thawed frozen artichokes or canned artichokes drained or to taste (I like to use the seasoned ones from the "olive bar")
• 1/2 teaspon of lemon zest (when I get lazy and don't want to zest I just use the lemon's juice)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup cream (I subsitute in 2% milk)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• chopped parsley or thyme

STEPS

1. In a large skillet, brown chicken pieces in olive oil over medium-high heat (about 2-3 minutes a side), no need for them to cook through.
2. Remove, decrease heat to medium, and add onion. Cook 1-2 min until onions start to become transparent. 
3. Add tomatoes, artichokes, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
4. Nestle chicken thighs in the vegetables.
5. Add wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook another 8 to 10 minutes.
6. While simmering, in a separate bowl, mix the cream or milk with mustard. I like to sub in 2% milk because we try to make our meals on the healthier side. Doing this will however, make the sauce a lot less creamy. To indulge and get a thicker sauce I definitely would say stick to the cream :) little fat here and there won't hurt anyone.
7. Once chicken is done, remove from fire and mix in cream/mustard sauce.
8. When serving garnish with parsley or thyme

I make some pretty good rice (keep an eye out for that recipe) so I like to serve this meal over rice. I find that starting the rice when I bring the chicken to a boil/simmer (after step 5) is the best timing, this ensure the rice won't be overcooked. 

So there it is! The first meal I made in 2015, a great way to boost my confidence and start off my year of more cooking :) I hope you enjoy it and as always any questions, suggestions, feedback feel free to leave a message in the comment section. 

Bon Appetite!!

Ps. Over time I have made my own modifications to this recipe, like reduced amount of oil, milk instead of cream, adding red peppers. The original recipe can be found  at http://www.dinneralovestory.com/chicken-artichokes-creamy-mustard/