Chicken St. Charles

When I was in high school, I worked at Oliver's restaurant just off the square in town.  Oliver's is long gone, but I can still taste some of their amazing dishes.  Chicken St. Charles was one of my favorites, so I decided to try to recreate it, because I haven't seen it on any other restaurant menu since.  Also I couldn't find a recipe that matched theirs, so this is my best guess, but it turned out good!

Chicken St. Charles

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 (6 oz ) jar marinated artichokes, drained
1/4 cup white wine (or sub lemon juice from 1/2 lemon)
1 Tbsp parsley (fresh is better, but use what you have)
~ 3/4 cup cream
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp capers
Cajun seasoning (I used Tony's)
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups rice, cooked
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper


Chicken: Add canola oil to a saute pan, just enough to coat the bottom, heat over medium heat.  Season chicken with Tony's, add to the hot oil.  While the chicken cooks, cook the rice according to package directions.  I usually boil rice in chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor.  After searing on one side, turn the chicken, cover and turn heat to low.  Cook until the chicken reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
'Shrooms: To the same pan, add the mushrooms, saute until brown, and remove from the pan.  (You might be tempted to add more oil to the pan after adding the mushrooms, but don't.  Mushrooms are like little yummy sponges, the more oil you put in, the more they soak up.  Just keep moving them around the pan, they'll be fine.)
Sauce: Add butter and flour to the same pan, stir until golden brown, add the cream, stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.  Add drained artichokes, capers, mushrooms, parsely, and white wine (*or lemon juice).  Mix in chicken broth to thin the mixture if needed (or more wine.  Woooooh).
To plate: add a heap of rice, top with chicken, pour over the sauce, sprinkle with parsely.  Pretty pretty.
*If you are using lemon juice, wait until removing the sauce from the heat, and add the juice at the last second before serving, otherwise the mixture may curdle.