Inspirations

There are so many influences that determine what recipes I search out and decide to prepare. Sometimes I see a cooking show that inspires me to try a new dish, or a new ingredient tempts me to give it a world, other times I am motivated by a cooking technique that I have never tried. There are several things when it comes to food that move me. This particular recipe was inspired by a wedding gift we received. My sister visited DC this past week and I was showing her all of my wedding gifts and came across a set of Arthur Court "Fleur Di Lis" spreaders that I have not used yet. My in-laws are in town and I wanted to make an appetizer for them to snack on mid-day. I thought this would be the perfect excuse to use our gift and a good chance to make a spread (which I have never done before). Luckily, Cooking Light had a recipe that interested me.

Chicken Artichoke Spread
Cooking Light April 1997

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
Cooking spray
2 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 cup minced green onions
3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 drops hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (not in original recipe)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (not in original recipe)
1/4 teaspoon salt (not in original recipe)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place artichoke hearts in food processor, and process until finely chopped. Spoon into a bowl, and set aside.

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet, and let cool. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces, and set aside. (I used chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken that was already cooked so I skipped this step)

Recoat skillet with cooking spray, and add onions and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Place chicken and onion mixture in food processor;

process until finely ground. Add yogurt, mayonnaise, cheese, and sauces,

and pulse until well-blended. Add chicken mixture to artichokes; stir well. Spoon mixture into a 1-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake mixture at 350° for 25 minutes or until heated. Serve spread warm or cold with French bread or crackers.

I tasted this spread during preparation and felt it needed more spices. I added salt, pepper and cayenne to jazz it up a bit.