Chicken Breast with Asparagus And Whole Wheat Linguine

You will need(all measurements are approximate):

Chicken
1 oven-safe skillet, or baking dish
1 Chicken Breast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder

Asparagus
~1/4 lb fresh Asparagus
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil or butter/margarine

Pasta
Linguine, Whole Wheat (or white, but whole wheat is healthier)
2-3 tbsp butter (or olive oil, if you prefer)
1 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp chopped oregano
salt, if desired (really only needed if unsalted butter is used)
grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Procedure:

Chicken

• Place dry skillet on medium-high burner.
• Preheat oven to 350
• Season Chicken Breast with Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder
• Add approx. 2 tbsp to skillet per chicken breast (alternately, drizzle each breast with olive oil before seasoning, and do not add oil to pan)
• Brown chicken on both sides
• Remove entire skillet to oven (or transfer to baking dish), cook for approx. 30 minutes. Note, cooking time will depend on thickness of each breast.
• Test doneness by making a small cut in the thickest part of the breast with a very sharp knife. The flesh should be white all the way through.

Asparagus
(in a second skillet, or cooked immediately after chicken is removed from oven)

• Remove root end of asparagus stalk, discard
• Cut into bite-sized pieces, approx. 1" (2.5cm) in length
• Heat approx. 2tbsp of olive oil or butter in skillet, over high heat
• Add asparagus once pan is hot, stir to coat
• Season with sea salt, black pepper to taste
• Stirring often, cook until bright green in color, and fork tender (can be easily skewered with a fork, but not soft and spongy)
• Serve.
  

Pasta

• Boil approx 1 qt water, with 1tsp sea salt
• Boil until tender
• Drain, return to pan along with 2-3tbsp butter (margarine or olive oil, if you prefer), Chopped Basil and Oregano (fresh is preferred), and salt, to taste
• Remove from heat
• Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately

Strategy

Chicken will take approximately 5-7 minutes to cook on the stove, and about 30 in the oven. Start the pasta when the chicken goes into the oven. Start to prep the asparagus shortly thereafter, but don't actually cook it for another 20 minutes or so as it will cook fairly quickly (less than 10 minutes).

Notes

• In general, use the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can afford. I like the Star brand, but there are many good brands available. The more expensive oils will have better flavor, but in all cases use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It comes from the first cold press of the olives, and has been shown to have the most health benefits.

• Under no circumstances should olive oil be heated to the point of smoking. If the oil smokes before food is added for cooking, CAREFULLY dab with paper towel(s) to remove it, wash pan and reheat.

• Taste each dish frequently during seasoning (except the chicken - this should be obvious), to ensure compatibility with your palate. The ingredients list should be followed, but the amounts of salt, pepper, garlic powder and cheese listed should be thought of as guidelines.