Chicken and Artichoke Stew

I have a love/hate relationship with Artichokes. On one hand, they're tasty. On another, I just don't care for the texture of an artichoke heart sitting on my plate. So I can handle them roasted (which is incredibly tasty, by the way) or in some kind of larger dish. This is an example of the latter. More specifically, a stew.


Chicken and Artichoke Stew

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
freshly grated pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 can artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup parmesan

1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper and sage, and dredge the chicken, coating lightly. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil into the butter. Brown the chicken on both sides.
2. Add the onion and saute until beginning to brown. Add the garlic, then turn off the heat and add the wine, stock, and artichoke hearts. Turn the flame back on and stew over low heat for 1 hour.
3. Make a slurry of the 2 tablespoons flour and the water (I use a cocktail shaker to do this), and stir in to the stew. Once the stew comes back up to a simmer, stir in the cream and the parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Notes
- While you could certainly serve this by itself, I serve it over rice.
- You could certainly use chicken thighs or other meat if you like.
- If using fresh artichokes, you need about 6 hearts.

Currently, I'm reading... The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova.