Happy Passover! We hope that everyone had a nice Seder and a great night of eating. This year’s Seder “was not like all other nights” for a lot of reasons, and we hope that this year was still a good evening to connect with family and friends, even if it was virtually.  We had a Seder last night with our parents and Nana (we are all social distancing together). Nana goes all out for Jewish holidays and this year was no exception. 

We were finally granted permission to bring a few dishes to the Seder that we will be sharing with you through this week and next. Up first is our lemon chicken with artichokes. This dish comes together fairly quickly and holds well in the oven during the Seder. The tangy lemon was a perfect accompaniment with Nana’s savory brisket. We made it last night but plan to have it as a staple throughout the spring and early summer. 

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes
Makes: 8 servings 
Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cooking Time: 35 minutes      Total Time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 package of bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (about 4) 
• 1 package chicken breasts (about 4) 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine 
• 3 lemons, 2 juiced and the other cut in wedges
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cans (28 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half length-wise
• 1/2 cup capers 
• salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

1. Heat a deep pan over high heat and add the olive oil. While the olive oil is heating, season the chicken (thighs and breasts) thoroughly with salt and pepper.
2. Place the chicken skin side down in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side so that the skin gets browned and crispy. You do not need to cook the chicken through at this point. Just make sure it is nice and brown.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add a little more olive oil if needed and the garlic. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes.
4. Add the white wine. The wine will quickly boil as it deglazes the pan. Make sure you use a spatula that can scrape any of the brown bits from the chicken (aka flavor). 
5. Add the lemon juice and wedges, chicken broth, artichoke hearts and capers to the pan. Cook for 5 and stir to incorporate all of the ingredients together. 
6. Add the chicken back to the pan, cover and cook over low heat for 20 – 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot!