Purple chicken. Doesn’t that just sound… gross? I know. I know! But I keep thinking about it as Purple Chicken, and I don’t know what else to call it. Olive Chicken? Mediterranean Chicken? Chicken di Porpora? That would be Italian for Purple Chicken. Actually, Chicken of Purple. So, it’s not the greatest name. I’ll work on it. It’s delicious. That’s all that matters.

What I really love about this dish is that is satisfies both my palette for taste and for color, and feels both decadent and hearty at the same time. It’s an all-around satisfying dish.

Purple Chicken
3 – 4 Chicken Breasts
1 small jar of artichoke hearts (I have to get the jar – if I make my own, I eat them)
1 handful of dark olives (the good kind from the fancy olive bar)
1 large lemon (sliced)
3 small zucchini (the big ones will have seeds)
Purple Asparagus (I used home grown asparagus, see picture, I only needed 2 or 3)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

If you have a mandolin or your food processor has a mandolin, get that out. No mandolin? Use a knife and put on some music that gives you extra patience. We’re making spaghetti out of zucchini, and it’s ridiculously easy. If you have a mandolin.

Slice up the zucchini, lengthwise, using your mandolin. Drizzle it with a little olive oil and set it aside.

Next up, get out your favorite skillet. Start by putting your skillet on a medium heat and coat with olive oil. This is not deep frying, so you don’t need a lot. Drizzle the olive oil in the skillet and tilt the pan around to get it completely coated. While the skillet comes up to heat, prep the chicken. I don’t like pepper, so I don’t use pepper, but if you like pepper , this is where you get to use it. Just use it sparingly, please. Not everyone likes pepper and it should not be a dominant flavor in this dish. I prep the chicken by sprinkling a pinch of salt over the top-side and bottom-side of the chicken breast and then giving them a good rub down. Insert inappropriate breast massage comment here, or just snicker like a tween. Squeeze a slice of lemon over each breast. When the pan is up to temperature, gently place the chicken in the pan. If you drop it in the pan, you have a high likelihood of get hot oil spat on you. (Note for new cooks: if you’re nervous about cooking with grease, have some baking soda handy. If you start a grease fire, your heat is too high. WAY too high. But things happen, so just be prepared and know your kitchen safety! If you get hot grease on you, you can use the baking soda to absorb the oil after you rinse the burn under cold water. If it looks worse than a sunburn, check in with your doctor.) You want to sear each side to keep the moisture in the chicken, so give it a few minutes on each side to get a good, golden brown sear. After searing, if the meat is thick, you’ll want to cover with a lid to make sure that it cooks thoroughly.

While the chicken cooks, get your food processor (blender, smoothie-maker – whatever will puree so you don’t have to do it manually – or do it manually I that makes you happy). First into the food processor will be the artichokes. Next, the olives. If you care for your teeth, and/or the blades of your food processor, make sure you remove the pits. Squeeze in the juice from the rest of that lemon. Puree these all together into a paste. Let it sit while you check on the chicken.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and turn the heat down to low. Toss in the zucchini and asparagus, and just push it around the pan for a minute – too long will give you a pan-full of mush. If you like the asparagus to be more cooked, cook that first and then add the zucchini. This is just a quick in and out job to heat the zucchini and give it some of the flavor from the meat. Remove the vegetables from the pan to a cool plate. Lay the chicken over the zucchini/asparagus blend, and then pour the puree over the chicken.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!