Chicken and Artichoke Fricassée with Morel Mushrooms

Mmmmm.  This was quite a bit of work, but very, very yummy and worth it.  That is, if you love morels, which I do. A lot.  Yep, this is another 10 out of 10--hoping I can keep this trend going!  Baby artichokes are not easy to come by, it seems, though.  I found them at Mariano's (grocery store), in case anyone reading is near one of those.

Link to original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-and-artichoke-fricassee-with-morel-mushrooms-237905

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lemons
9 baby artichokes
6 c. water
2 T. all-purpose flour, plus additional for dredging
2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
4 chicken thighs (bone-in/skin-on)
4 chicken drumsticks
4 oz. fresh (or 1 oz. dried and reconstituted) morel mushrooms
2 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 T. fresh thyme, chopped, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. low-salt chicken broth
1/4 c. crème fraîche

Instructions:

1. Fill a large bowl with water and squeeze the juice from 1 lemon into water, then add the lemon halves.

2. Tear the outer leaves from each artichoke until only pale green leaves remain (this will be quite a few leaves).  Cut off the top part so that no spiky leaf points remain (around 3/4" from top) and cut off bottom stem.

3. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise.  Rub cut edges with the half lemon and then place in the lemon water.

4. Add the 6 c. water to a large saucepan, along with the flour, salt, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil--and make sure you watch the pan or it will boil over (yes, this happened to me!).  Add the artichoke halves and cook for 5 minutes (I reduced the heat just slightly so that it would not boil over again).  Drain.

5. Melt butter with oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour before placing in skillet.

6. Cook chicken until golden brown, around 4 minutes per side (I am sure I went longer than this, not sure how much longer, though).  Transfer chicken to plate.

7. Add mushrooms, carrots, and shallots to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften--about 4 minutes.

8. Add 1 T. of the thyme along with the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

9. Add wine and bring to boil, then add broth and artichokes and bring back to boil.

10. Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  (*note: about halfway through this, I added a splash of the water I used to reconstitute the morels.)

11. Uncover, turn chicken, re-cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer.

12. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter, leaving sauce in skillet.  Whisk in crème fraîche and remaining thyme, bring to boil.  Season with salt and pepper.

13. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.  Enjoy!