Autumn Comfort Food
My third and final bespoke recipe in collaboration with Grana Padano is a fabulous Autumn supper dish for the whole family, Grana Padano Chicken & Artichoke Gratin; this easy to prepare dish has a tasty crusty crumb topping with lots of grated Grana Padano cheese and is perfect when served with steamed seasonal veggies or salad. I added fresh tarragon for an extra flavour layer as it marries so well with chicken in particular.
The salty flavour of Grana Padano cheese, as well as its great melting properties elevates this dish above the usual baked gratin; using Grana Padano Riserva cheese, which is aged for 20 months and has a robust, nutty and complex taste, as well as some of the Grana Padano 9-month aged cheese, both of which perfectly compliments the chicken thighs, juicy tinned artichokes, aromatic fresh tarragon and creamy sauce in this comforting recipe.
As I mentioned before in my previous two recipe posts, the cheese has a fascinating history; created by the Cistercian monks of Chiaravalle in the 12th century, it is still made throughout the Po River Valley in North-Eastern Italy, and it’s a cheese with a very special pedigree and history, which is just as popular today as it was hundreds of years ago. I always have all the three vintages in my fridge, as each one adds a special taste and texture to cooking, AND baking too.
Today’s recipe for Grana Padano Chicken & Artichoke Gratin can be assembled in the morning, before going to work, and after bringing it to room temperature for half an hour, it’s ready to pop into the oven for an easy family meal. If you aren’t a fan of chicken thighs, then by all means substitute them for chicken breast fillets, or even chicken drumsticks, it’s a fabulous dish with any cut of chicken.
For all my other Grana Padano recipes, please pop over to see them here: Roast Tomato & Grana Padano Bruschetta with Capers and here: Rustic Tuscan Bean Casserole with Grana Padano Cheese Croutons. I find that most cooking and baking recipes always shine when cheese is added and Grana Padano is the perfect cheese to sprinkle on all of your pasta, bakes, gratins and even bread recipes. I hope you have enjoyed all my specially created recipes using Grana Padano cheese, and do let me know by leaving a comment if you make any of them! Karen
Lavender and Lovage Grana Padano Tasting Notes:
- Grana Padano 9-month vintage: Perfect in salads and for sprinkling on pasta, the sweeter milder flavour is also a great way to introduce children to this type of cheese. Also excellent when mixed with a stronger vintage as a cheesy topping.
- Grana Padano 16-month vintage: Great for general baking and cooking, this cheese has a stronger flavour than the 9-month aged cheese and can hold its own in rustic cooking as well as in scones, bruschetta and bread.
- Grana Padano “Riserva”: A fabulous cheese which has been aged for a minimum of 20 months, this vintage is very robust and nutty with a wonderful texture and is amazing when served on the cheese board (with wine), as well as in any baked gratins, flans, pies, tarts or quiches.
See more recipes and cheese chat over on Grana Padano Twitter, Grana Padano Facebook and Grana Padano Instagram pages.
Disclaimer: Collaborative post with Grana Padano
Grana Padano Chicken & Artichoke Gratin
Serves | 4 to 6 people |
Prep time | 10 minutes |
Cook time | 45 minutes |
Total time | 55 minutes |
Allergy | Milk |
Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
Misc | Gourmet, Serve Hot |
Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day |
Region | Italian |
By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 150mls creme fraiche
- 100mls dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 1 x 400g tinned artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/4 baguette, cut into small cubes
- 100g Grana Padano Riserva, grated
- 75g Grana Padano 9-month aged cheese, grated
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Note
Grana Padano Chicken & Artichoke Gratin can be assembled in the morning, before going to work, and after bringing it to room temperature for half an hour, it’s ready to pop into the oven for an easy family meal.
Directions
Step 1 | Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. |
Step 2 | Mix the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, wine and tarragon together to make a thick sauce. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste. |
Step 3 | Place the chicken thighs in a large oven proof dish and arrange the artichoke hearts around them. Spoon the sauce over the top , making sure the artichoke hearts are covered with sauce. |
Step 4 | Scatter the cubes of bread over the top and then sprinkle the two vintages of grated Grana Padano cheese over everything. |
Step 5 | Bake in pre-heated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the top is golden brown and bubbling. |
Step 6 | Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with seasonal greens and/or salad and crusty bread. |
Hi Karen, welcome back.
This sounds lovely and I happen to have a jar of artichokes which needs to be released from it’s current occupation as a paperweight!
Off topic, I sent you a message using your “contact me” form but I don’t think you received it.
Could you send me your email address and I can then tell you latest new and complications! I am now fine but we have problems with graham’s tooth. Full details when I hear from you.
Hope you had a good time in Yorkshire.
Cheers!
Liz
xx
Hi Liz,
I have just sent you my email and I hope all is well?
Yes, it is time to liberate that paperweight and use those artichoke hearts in this dish – I concur!
I am back in SW France now and will await your email!
Karen
I. NEED. THIS. NOW… this is SO beautiful and sounds so tasty… please come and see me and make this for me in my kitchen? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Dom – I thought you would like this as it has chicken THIGHS in it! Karen
Karen this dish looks amazing — it looks so rustic and beautiful, and I love Grana
Padano, but I’ve only tasted an American version, never the ‘real thing’!
I’m going to share this on Facebook today!
Hi Sue! LOVELY to see you here, we haven’t spoken for ages and ages….I MUST pop over to see you today too! Karen
Hi again Sue, I bet it is just as good, as I believe it has to come from Italy as it has a PGI protected origin status! I am so glad you like the recipe too! Karen
This sounds and looks absolutely delicious, and comforting! Yum!
Thanks Marsha! It was extremely tasty and a dish I’ll make again.
That sounds so creamy and flavorful! I like using the two vintages of the cheese for the different aspects of each.
The two cheeses add a double dimension Anne!
This looks like such a wonderful warming dish for this time of year. I especially love the inclusion of artichokes, this would go down very well in my household (in fact, I will have to pass the recipe onto my partner as he would love it!).
I adore artichokes with chicken and the creamy sauce really adds a luxurious touch too!
This is my kind of comfort food and Grana Padano is one of my favorites.
One of my favourite cheeses Janette, so versatile too.
This looks so good and seems to be easy to prepare. I will show this to my wife. I shouldn’t have to beg too much, she likes this type of dish too. Appreciate the recipe.
Thanks John, it is easy to prepare and would make a wonderful cold weather dish for you and your wife, as well as dinner guests!
Your Gratin looks delicious especially when you have a chunky piece of crusty bread to mop up the plate with.
Crusty bread is essential in dishes like this Nayna!
What a beautiful recipe and one I have actually eaten chez Lavender and Lovage! I love cheese and Grana Padano is just so good.
Thanks Janice – we had a GREAT time that evening didn’t we? I LOVE Grana Padano and it’s such a versatile cheese too!
not heard of this cheese before and do not think we get it here in South Africa. Sounds like fantastic fkavours tho ! Beautiful images not really a fan of artichokes :/
You can replicate the recipe with another hard cheese maybe Verushka!
Very interesting receipe… I was impressed on how well you mixed Grana Padano with the other ingredients.
But most of all I was attracted by your pictures….they are faboulous!!!
THANKS so much for your lovely comments Paola, I love photography as much as eating and cooking!
What an awesome, mouth watering and delicioso collaboration 😀 My boyfriend will love this, he loves cheese!
This is a must make recipe for ALL cheese lovers Blair!
Delicious and very very healtht this is. Alot new to try out for its benefits.
It’s a simple but very tasty recipe Lex.
This is completely new dish for me. The elaborate steps given seems helpful and I tam tempted to try it out because of your awesome pics. 🙂
Thanks so much Indrani, it really is a very easy recipe to make!
This looks lovely! I absolutely agree, everything tastes better when you add cheese 🙂
Always Amy and this cheese is particularly FAB!
Ohh no another great recepy, when I am starving xD Thanks for sharing this it looks like absolute heaven at the moment…and that is a big compliment from a Steak Gal like me^^
You are welcome, I hope you enjoy this if you make it!
Now this is absolutely autumnal heaven!
Thanks Emma, I think so too! Karen
This would be such an amazing dish for the autumn nights, and Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year! Thanks for sharing, now I have to try and enjoy it!
Thanks for your kind comments Liana, it is a fabulous dish for the colder months and we have enjoyed it twice now!
I rarely eat chicken anymore but honestly Karen this looks SO tempting. Saw on Facebook and had to come see for myself. I am sending a link to my Dad’s partner. She would love to make this I’m sure. 🙂
Thanks Kellie, it is a really wonderful comfort dish, and you can of course omit the chicken if you wish! 😉
This looks like a fabulous dish full of flavour, real comfort food. I’m off to search out some reserva, sounds like my kind of cheese. GG
I love all the Grana Padao cheese vintages, but I must admit I love the Reserva cheese best GG!