This time of year is a great time to get your fill of asparagus. This tender vegetable goes on sale January-March and is such a healthy and delicious addition to salads, pastas or eaten as a side dish. One of my favorite recipes with asparagus is this Balsamic Asparagus Chicken. Balsamic and asparagus pair perfectly together anyway but add that to a marinated chicken breast, sauted mushrooms and onions and provolone cheese, it doesn’t get better than that! Serve this chicken dish over some Garlic Mashed Potatoes and you have an elegant meal that took you less than 30 minutes to cook.
Ingredients
- 5-6 chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil or cooking oil
- 1 Tbs. oregano
- 1 tsp. salt & pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. basil
- Toppings:
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 8 oz. white mushrooms sliced
- 12-15 pieces asparagus
- 1 white onion sliced
- Drizzle olive oil or butter
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients together. Pour half of the marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag or into a separate bowl or Tupperware. Add the chicken to the marinade and let the chicken sit in the liquid for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. When you are ready to prepare dinner, remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken on a hot grill until cooked on both sides and the center of the chicken is no longer pink.
- While the chicken is cooking, simmer the other half of the marinade in a sauce pan at a low boil for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. At the same time, add a little olive oil or butter to a saute pan and saute the sliced onions and mushrooms until the onions are tender.
- Season with salt & pepper. Remove the mushrooms and onions once they are cooked and set aside. Add a couple cups of water to that same pan and heat to boiling. Rinse the asparagus and place in the boiling water. Let them blanch for just a couple minutes until bright green.
- Once they are tender, remove from the water and set aside. Once the chicken has been grilled, place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet or in a 9x13 pan. Pour a spoonful of the balsamic reduction (marinade) on top of each chicken breast.
- Add a large spoonful of the mushroom and onion mixture on top of each chicken breast as well. Place 2-3 asparagus stems on top of each chicken breast and top with a slice of provolone cheese.
- Broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve the chicken with extra balsamic sauce/glaze and serve over mashed potatoes. Serves 6.
*If you don’t want to smother this chicken, the marinated chicken in the balsamic marinade is AMAZING by itself. I will be grilling and marinating this chicken this summer for sure! This chicken with asparagus would also be great over pasta. The variations are limitless 😉
