Chicken And Asparagus With Three Cheeses

Ingredients:

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil for browning chicken
Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning for seasoning chicken
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 cup chicken stock, reduced to 3/4 cup
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 lb. soft goat cheese (Chevre or Montrachet type)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup low fat sharp cheddar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Trim all visible fat and membrane from chicken breasts and cut into half-inch strips crosswise.

Season chicken with spices, then saute in large frying pan in about 1 T olive oil. Cook until chicken pieces are well browned on both sides. (You will have to turn each piece a couple of times to get this result. Don't rush this step.)

Meanwhile, cut off woody ends of asparagus (snap one piece to see how much to cut off, it will break off right where the woody part starts), then cut asparagus diagonally into 2 inch pieces. Bring pan of barely salted water to a gentle boil, put asparagus in and boil 3 minutes, drain, then put asparagus in cold water to stop cooking and drain again. Let drain well.

Spray casserole dish with nonstick spray. Layer browned chicken, then asparagus. Use chicken stock to deglaze pan that you cooked the chicken in and scrape up all little browned bits. Let stock simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup. Wisk sour cream into sauce and heat over very low heat. When mixture is hot (but not boiling) add goat cheese and parmesan and wisk into sauce until melted. DO NOT BOIL or the mixture will separate.

Pour sauce over chicken and asparagus and top with sharp cheddar. Bake 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is just starting to bubble. (Don't cook it too long or the sauce will separate.)

This freezes well. I made a double batch and enjoyed it for lunch several times last spring. For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, since microwaving for too long can cause the sauce to separate.

This is a "once in a while" dish for The South Beach diet due to the fat content. For phase one, serve it with something like Georgette's Greek Zucchini and a green salad. For phase two serve it over Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, which is lower on the glycemic index than other types of white rice.

With courtesy from: kalynskitchen.blogspot.com