Chicken with Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers

Today I heard someone talk about how they were a little afraid to cook chicken. Call it a salmonella fear or something like that. I had something similar, but it was with beef (which I find odd, since I love my meat rare). Chicken, on the other hand, was something I never really got bothered by or afraid of cooking. 350 degrees in the oven for about a half hour or grill until you thought it might be done, then cut in the center. If it wasn't pink and juices ran out, it was done. But after hearing that today, I knew I had to make this dish tonight (plus, I for some reason really wanted some chicken, so perfect timing).



This was a really easy dish to throw together. The original calls for mozzarella cheese on top, but since I didn't have any, I just left it out altogether. I had read some comments on this recipe that said they missed the cheese. I didn't. I honestly think cheese might be weird with this dish. If you try this and use the cheese, please let me know if I'm completely crazy. I am typically of the nature of "when in doubt always add more cheese" but this time I liked it perfectly fine just the way it was. I think it might have been the balsamic.

The chicken came out really tender and really flavorful. I liked pan searing it and then cooking it on the stovetop. One word of note: Make sure you keep an eye on the pan-the recipe calls for only a half cup of broth, and I think I wound up with a full cup-it kept burning off so I had to add a bit more as I cooked. If you don't want to burn the chicken, I'd suggest you do the same.



Overall, it's a really good dish to put together when you want some extra veggies, when you don't have a lot of time, and when you want something that just tastes really good without being too complicated.



Chicken With Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers (recipe from www.allrecipes.com)

* 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth (as it kept burning off and I needed to not have the chicken burn I added more, a little at a time, and wound up using about a cup)
* 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
* 1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (I love roasted red peppers, and I only had a 12 oz. jar so I just used all of that. It was fine for me but if you want, use less!)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 c. chopped plum tomatoes
* 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste (I just put a glug or two around the pan)
* 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional-I left it out)


1. Heat the broth in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to the chicken and place in the pan. Cook 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking, until chicken is almost done.
2. Place asparagus, red peppers and garlic in the pan. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear, the inside is not pink, and asparagus is tender (you will probably want to flip the chicken again during this time) to make sure you cook evenly). Place tomatoes in skillet during last 2 minutes. Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, if you'd like.