Creamy Chicken With Mushrooms and Artichokes

This chicken dish is creamy and mild and the flavours meld completely. It is a fairly rich dish and does not pretend to be low-cal! I used canned mushroom pieces and artichokes because it's quicker, but fresh, lightly cooked mushrooms and artichokes can be used. Serve with brown rice and a green vegetable such as swiss chard, fresh green beans or broccoli. Very comforting and tasty! Please note that you can use a tin of asparagus pieces in the place of the mushrooms.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 lbs chicken pieces (bone and skin in)
• 1  cup mayonnaise, tangy, not bland
• 4  tablespoons prepared mustard, preferably wholegrain and creamy
• 1  teaspoon garlic, chopped
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 14  ounces mushrooms, canned weight before draining (stems and pieces are fine (or use asparagus pieces)
• 14  ounces canned artichoke hearts (canned weight before draining)
• 2  ounces camembert cheese or 2  ounces  brie cheese, ripe
•  fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 deg F.
2. Spray a suitable and not too shallow oven dish with nonstick spray, and prepare the chicken pieces: remove extra fat and loose flaps of skin.
3. Drain contents of the tins in a sieve -- as well as possible. Hold artichoke hearts upside down and squeeze gently to get rid of more liquid. Leave to drain.
4. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, lemon juice and Tabasco.
5. Pack the chicken pieces snugly, skin side up, in the oven dish. Season lightly with a seasoned salt of your taste.
6. Sprinkle over the mushroom pieces or sliced fried mushrooms. Chop the artichokes, each into 3 or 4 pieces, and add. Lift up chicken pieces and tuck some of the vegetable bits underneath and between them.
7. Cut the camembert or brie into small chunks and tuck in all over the chicken.
8. Ladle over the mayonnaise mixture, then use the back of a spoon to spread it over the chicken pieces.
9. Cover the dish with a large piece of aluminium foil, tented so as not to rest on the sauce, and tucked in lightly around the edges.
10. Bake for an hour in the preheated oven. Take foil off for last 10 minutes so top can colour.
11. The mushrooms and artichokes might shed a little liquid, but no matter, it adds to make extra sauce to go over the rice.
12. Grind over plenty of fresh black peppercorns.
13. Serve with rice, steamed broccoli and a salad.