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Tuscan Chicken Skillet
with quinoa / Italian side salad

Active: 30 Total: 40

To make this elegant weeknight dinner, chicken thighs are simmered in a rich, savory pancetta and artichoke pan sauce. We serve it over quinoa to soak up the delicious pan sauce and enjoy it with a classic Italian salad on the side. A version of this meal was first featured in November 2015.

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Tags
Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Italian Side Salad:
  • Cheese, Parmesan - 2 oz , grated
  • Tomatoes, roma - 4 , chopped
  • Lettuce, romaine - 2 hearts , chopped (sub butterhead)
  • Black olives, sliced (2.25 oz / 63 g) - 1 can , drained and rinsed
  • Mayonnaise - 1 Tbsp , sub plain Greek yogurt
  • Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
  • Vinegar, red or white wine - 2 tsp
  • Oregano, dried - 1/4 tsp
Tuscan Chicken Skillet:
  • Onions, medium - 1/2 , chopped
  • Artichoke hearts, frozen or canned - 16 , chopped
  • Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless - 4 large
  • Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
  • Pancetta - 4 oz (look for this pre-chopped in the deli section)
  • Vinegar, red or white wine - 2 tsp
  • Spinach, frozen - 6 oz (look for spinach labelled chopped or cut)
  • Rosemary, fresh - 2 sprigs
  • Stock, any type - 1 1/2 cups
Quinoa:
  • Quinoa, uncooked - 3/4 cup
  • Stock, any type - 1 1/2 cups

Prep

  1. Quinoa - (Skip if quinoa was already made ahead on Monday.) Combine quinoa with stock (the portion for quinoa) and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat when finished to prevent burning / sticking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Onions / Cheese - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  3. Tomatoes / Lettuce - Prep as directed. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  4. Artichoke hearts - If using frozen artichoke hearts, defrost in microwave; if using canned artichoke hearts, drain and rinse. Roughly chop. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  5. Chicken - Season with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  6. Olives - Drain and rinse olives. 

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Make

  1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add cooking oil. When oil is hot, sear chicken until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and set aside.

  2. Return skillet to heat and reduce to medium heat. Add pancetta and onion (for the chicken). Saute until onion is soft, ~3 minutes. Add vinegar and spinach (no need to defrost) and saute, scraping up any dark bits in the bottom of the pan until excess liquid is cooked off. Add stock (the portion for the chicken), rosemary, artichoke hearts and bring to a simmer. Return chicken thighs to pan, cover with a lid and simmer until chicken is cooked through, ~8 minutes (internal temperature will be 165F / 74C). Discard rosemary sprigs.

  3. While chicken cooks, whisk together mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar and oregano. Toss lettuce, olives and tomatoes in dressing. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

  4. Reheat quinoa if made ahead.

  5. Serve chicken over quinoa with pan sauce spooned over top. Enjoy salad on the side. 


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