Chicken Scampi with Artichokes

This dinner dates back to last month. I'd planned to make shrimp scampi, completely underestimating my dear wife's unwillingness to eat shrimp anymore. She had undercooked shrimp at 2 restaurants in a row 2 years ago and is pretty much done with shrimp. I hadn't realized this because she asked me to make my grand mom's shrimp in beer after those incidents. But she is done, so it became chicken scampi, which suits me just fine. With pasta, a green salad and some nice, crusty bread, this makes a lovely meal.

Chicken Scampi with Artichokes 

1/2 stick butter (or, you can reduce this as far down as 1 tbsp---or use 1-2 tbsp olive oil)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. dry white wine

Pinch salt

1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

12 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1 large handful chopped basil

Juice of 1 lemon

Melt butter or heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a bubble and cook until reduced by half, a couple of minutes. Add chicken and artichokes. Cook through. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Adjust seasonings. Serves 2. 

Instead of a plain green salad, I served this with a really luscious berry salad, my version of an Aarti Sequeira recipe.

Berry Salad with Cardamom Balsamic Dressing
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I used vanilla)
2 tbsp. honey
Pinch cardamom
Salt & pepper
1 lb. strawberries
1 pt. raspberries
1 handful mint leaves, torn 

Whisk balsamic, honey, cardamom, salt, and pepper together. Toss gently with berries. Sprinkle with mint and gently toss to combine. Serves 4.