For those who grew up in the Northeast U.S., as we both did, chicken francaise is a pretty familiar dish, because you see it on the menu of almost every Italian-American restaurant. In fact, it was invented by the Italian immigrant community in the city of Rochester, in upstate New York. It’s a pretty distinctive dish: you make a sauce from butter, lemons, white wine, and capers, cook the chicken in this mixture, and then serve it alongside some pasta. Of course that’s not a vegetarian meal, but some places will serve you a meatless version that subs in artichoke hearts for the chicken – and so that’s what we decided to try recently. It works well because the artichokes are thick enough to feel meaty, and they taste delicious simmering in francaise sauce. So here we’ll walk you through how we made this unique, veggie-centered dish for ourselves.
You’ll need:
- 3 eggs
- Flour
- Dried basil
- Paprika
- 2 14.6-ounce cans of artichoke hearts
- Butter
- Olive oil
- A Massel 7 Chicken-style bouillon cube
- White wine
- Capers
- 2 lemons
- Parsley
- 8 ounces of pasta
Start by draining both cans of artichoke hearts and patting them dry, and also get to cooking your pasta. While you’re waiting for the pasta, beat your eggs in a bowl, and on a plate use a fork to whisk together 1 1/2 cups of flour and a teaspoon each of paprika and dried basil. Dip each artichoke heart, one at a time, in the egg, then the flour mixture, then once more in the egg followed by the flour. In the largest pan you have, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and then stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Place as many artichoke hearts in as you can without them touching, and cook until the bottom of each artichoke is browned, then flip them over to cook similarly on the other side.
When each artichoke is done place them on a plate to cool while you cook the rest in batches, adding more butter and oil to the pan in an equal ratio as needed. Once you’re done with the artichokes, wipe out the pan, pour 3/4 cup of water into it, and bring to a boil. Dissolve in your bouillon cube and then stir in the juice from one of your lemons and 1/4 cup of white wine. When this all simmers together, place the artichokes back in the pan along with a tablespoon of drained capers. Cut your other lemon into slices and add those in, plus a large handful of parsley leaves, and let everything cook together for 3 minutes.
To serve, place three or four artichokes on each plate and spoon sauce over them, making sure you get capers, parsley and lemon slices on top as well. Then take whatever sauce is left in the pan and mix it with your pasta, and place the pasta alongside the artichokes to complete your meal.
This turned out to be a very interesting dinner! Dredging each individual artichoke heart in eggs and seasoned flour allows you to pan-fried the artichokes so they come out airy and crispy. Then you get your sauce, which isn’t just your typical lemon butter: you’ve also got white wine, capers and parsley to add in some interesting depth and flavors, which pair well with the breaded artichokes. And using what’s left in the pan after all those different things cook together to make a sauce for your pasta adds in a nice finishing touch to round out the meal. We thought the artichokes were an excellent substitute for chicken, and so now you know how to enjoy one of the staples of Italian-American cuisine while still eating meat-free.