Italian Chicken

KK and I were social butterflies this week – there’s so much to catch you up with!

On Wednesday, KK found a Scoutmob deal so we had date night at Raymi in NYC.  Our first experience with Peruvian food was a success.  Thanks to KK’s advance research, we knew ordering pisco was a must.  We opted for the Pisco sampler and got to try four different cocktails.  KK’s favorite was the Raymi with aji amarillo pepper and mango, while mine was the Spiced Pear Cocktail with cinnamon and anise.  Dinner was served tapas style, and the Peruvian crispy donuts with chancaca honey we had for dessert were scrumptious! KK eventually plans to write a rave Yelp review.

Thursday was my official desk move date at work, so I celebrated with my Jersey City coworkers at Iron Monkey.  We enjoyed their extensive beer list from the rooftop bar.  Afterwards we grabbed a quick, yet excellent, dinner at Sky Thai.  Continuing with the outdoor drinks theme on Friday, KK and I met up with friends at Pier 13 in Hoboken.  The outdoor hangout opened summer 2012 and has a bar, food trucks, lawn chairs, and table games like Connect Four.  Unfortunately, they sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy.  Pier 13’s fate was in question for some time during early 2013, but they reopened last week and business looks to be booming! Friday’s visit marks the first of what I suspect to be many visits to Pier 13 this summer!

We returned to cooking on Saturday night, and whipped up this Italian Chicken which I found on Pinterest.  It was relatively quick, very easy, and equally as appetizing.  KK enjoyed the sauceless-ness of the dish (proven by the fact that he had seconds and thirds), while I opted to throw a bit of spaghetti sauce on top of my second serving.  Dinner paired nicely with a V. Sattui Family Red - a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cab with a touch of Syrah and Petit Verdot. 

Italian Chicken
Adapted from Our Story
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
8 oz. spaghetti
5 roma tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 ½ lb. chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Dried basil, for garnish
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
 
3. Meanwhile combine tomatoes, garlic, artichoke hearts, olive oil, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl.
 
4. Butterfly chicken breasts into 6-8 thinly sliced pieces.  Season each piece with salt and pepper. Combine chicken and tomato mixture in a 9x13 baking dish.
 
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until chicken is almost done.
 
6. Remove dish from oven, move oven rack to upper third of the oven, and heat broiler.
 
7. Sprinkle top of dish with mozzarella cheese and dried basil.  Return to oven and broil an additional 5 until cheese is golden brown.