As much as I love to cook, I look for easy ways to make dinner quickly during the week with a recipe that does everything in one dish – protein, vegetable and starch.
Highlighting the season’s fresh asparagus, this pasta recipe does it all in one. Long shreds of Parmesan cheese you can make by taking a vegetable peeler give a “bigger” taste of Parmesan. The fresh taste of lemon zest and a little bit of spice from the red pepper flakes, livens up the tasty but dependable flavor of the chicken and asparagus.
Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 ounces chicken breast, sliced into bite-size pieces
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pound asparagus, end trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓-1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces penne or other shaped pasta
- ½ cup long shreds Parmesan cheese* (grated Parmesan can be substituted)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and the butter over medium heat in skillet pan; add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook and stir until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; add asparagus and cook and stir just until tender, but still crisp, about 3 to 4 minute adding garlic during last minute of cooking.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer; cook until reduced slightly about 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to a simmer; cook until heated through and reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions; drain. Toss pasta with asparagus and chicken sauce and Parmesan shreds.
Notes
*Use a vegetable peeler to make the long shreds of Parmesan.
Heidi says
Hey Linda, I’m loving your recipes… haven’t tried them, but I’ve created a folder….. 🙂
I’m doing a main dish for 25+ coming for Chuck Foresman’s retirement party here early June. This chicken asparagus dish looks great, do you think I could prepare it and serve it in 9 x 13 casserole dishes??
thanks
Heidi
Patty says
I made this for my family last weekend and they loved it!
Joe says
Rachel and I made this dish tonight because we had all the ingredients on hand. So delicious, the sauce was very light in consistency and flavor, beautiful! Thanks Linda 🙂
Rosanne ragus says
Delicious
Juliet says
At 7:30pm (after a late meeting) I realized that I had all the ingredients for this. By 8:00 we were all sitting around the table enjoying every last bit of it. Thanks Linda.