Trying to eat something other than pasta, but still craving a decadent comfort food dish, I found this recipe for Chicken & Asparagus with Melted Gruyère cheese.
Ingredients:
4 ounces asparagus
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
To steam the asparagus, place asparagus in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and steam for 3 minutes. Remove asparagus and set aside.
Whisk broth and 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour, shaking off excess flour.
Heat oil in a sautee pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken should have a nice brown sear on it, but the heat may need to be adjusted to prevent burning. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Add shallot, wine and the reserved broth mixture to the pan. Cook over medium heat, until thickened (about 2 minutes) stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice and the reserved asparagus until combined. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Add cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted (about 2 minutes).
 Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Add cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted (about 2 minutes).
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| Finished Dish |
Yum. I really liked this meal. The sauce was rich and creamy, I didn’t even miss the lack of starch. This is definitely a meal that would be good for guests; it looks much more difficult than it actually is. If you can, try to get fresh tarragon, it really brightens the dish!
Your photos (and your food) look great. I’m having trouble with my own food photos. Are you using any special lighting? Mine always seem so dark and yellowish. It’s probably my house but I thought I’d see if you had any tips.
@mcclegend Thanks! I’m glad you like them and I hope these tips help: I switch my digital camera to the macro mode (usually shown as a flower)and just take one photo with the flash on and one without, choose the photo I like best. Using a photo editor like Picasa might help too. Also, mess around with your lights. If you have bright lighting in your kitchen, place the dish underneath it and take the photo without a flash. I hope this helps and good luck!