Artichoke Chicken & Warm Zucchini Chickpea Salad

Well this was a pleasant surprise! I was looking for ways to cook a chicken breast and cruised through some of the top chicken recipes on allrecipes.com. Not noticing my internet had automatically re-routed me to the Australian version, I was curious about this 5-ingredient, top-scoring recipe and happened to feel a little adventurous. It did not disappoint and all the praise about this being the "most flavourful" and juicy chicken recipe were spot on! This is a keeper for some good home cookin :)

Oh yea, and I made a ribboned zucchini salad for the first time! 

Serves: 4  

Ingredients

• Artichoke Chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 pinch garlic pepper 
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Zucchini Chickpea Salad
• 3-4 Zucchini
• 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tsp tahini 
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• Sea salt/Cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 1-2 tsp water
• Walnuts, coarsely chopped (to taste)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
• 2-3 Basil leaves (fresh), julienned

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture. 
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear. While the chicken is baking, start prepping the zucchini salad, below.
4. Using vegetable peeler and firmly holding zucchini by stem end, shave zucchini lengthwise into long ribbons. Lay across on an oven grate and place in oven with the chicken (or even put the grate on top of the chicken baking dish). Leave for ~15 minutes, or until zucchini is soft or beginning to caramelize.
5. In a small frying pan over medium heat, saute chickpeas and whole garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (just enough to moisten) for about 3 minutes, until the chickpeas dry out a bit and are warmed through. Remove garlic cloves, chop finely, and place in a small bowl. In the small bowl, combine minced anchovy, tahini, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt/pepper (to taste). Add water by the teaspoon until the dressing is smooth and runny. 
6. When the zucchini is ready, add the warmed chickpeas and toss with walnuts and dressing until everything is coated. Grate fresh parmesan on top and add julienned basil. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Sources: Artichoke Chicken by Amanda Bibb, Yam Zucchini and Chickpea Salad (original).