Day One-Hundred Nineteen - Chicken and Asparagus Pasta (6.1.14)

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat pasta
• 12 spears asparagus, chopped
• 1-2 chicken breast, bone and skin removed
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mushroom
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional; we used mozzarella sprinkled on top)
• 1 medium tomato (optional; use for garnish)
• Pinch of red or cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and place in skillet with olive oil.
3. Cook chicken until partially done (white on outsides, about 5 minutes over medium to medium-high heat).
4. Add asparagus and mushrooms, continue cooking until chicken is done.
5. Add chicken broth and cover pan, cook until asparagus is crisp tender (about 2 minutes over medium to medium-high heat).
6. Add pasta, red pepper flakes (to taste), and feta cheese. Remove from heat. Stir.
7. Serve with fresh diced tomatoes to garnish. Enjoy!

Opinions

Katie: The dish tonight was good. This dish was easy to make, but definitely pay attention when you add the asparagus as it is fairly easy to overcook. When the asparagus comes out crisp tender, it is great (we've previously overcooked asparagus in a different dish)! The dish is also a good one for playing with some flavors as the ingredients are pretty basic, but room to experiment. The mozzarella for feta substitution we did was just fine - instead of stirring in with the dish, we just sprinkled the cheese on top with the tomatoes. Since we like things spicier, I used more than a pinch of pepper but still actually could have used more.

Potter: This was good. Great summer dish, nice light flavors but still filling. We'll be making this one again and I will probably add more red pepper but I like spicy foods. You could definitely do this one with different veggies as well.