Artichokes and Greek Chicken

I have always wanted to try out artichokes.  They seem so mysterious and elegant.  So today on our shopping trip we decided to get a couple and try out a recipe. 

We started out by trimming the top inch off and removing the stem so it would sit flat.

Then we stuffed six cloves of garlic into each of the artichokes.  We used fresh garlic.  One head produced plenty of cloves.  John makes sure to cut off the woody little end on the garlic. 

We covered them with a mixture of oil, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper.   We put them in a big cast iron dutch oven with about half an inch of water in the bottom.

We put the lid on and baked them at 375 degrees for half an hour.  While that got started we made some Greek chicken to go with it.  John butterflied a boneless chicken breast.

Then he seasoned it with Greek seasoning inside and out.

Finally I added Feta cheese.  Yes, I had an integral part in this recipe!

Then John closed them up and put them in the pan. 

After the thirty minutes were up, we took off the lid to finish up the artichokes.  They cooked for another 15 minutes, or until the garlic was soft. 

 It all smelled fantastic!  Love the smell of roasting garlic.

Now to begin.  They suggest a couple of things for dipping, but the recipe I used said it doesn't need it.  We are trying to cut back on butter. 

It was OK.  I think the thing that bugged us the most was all the waste.  There was just a huge pile of the parts we don't eat.  It just wasn't anything special, at least not when they cost 2 for $5.00. 

And the artichoke heart was hairy. 

The Greek chicken was amazing and super easy to make.  It will definitely be made again. 

Print the Greek Chicken Recipe