Bacon Wrapped Chicken w/ Roasted Asparagus and Wilted Chard

Last night I was so ready to just pop a frozen pizza into the oven when I started watching a 30 minute meals episode on my DVR and it inspired me to do some cooking. I used two of her recipes and, in addition, saw some beautiful asparagus at the grocery store and decided to incorporate it in the meal. The food tasted awesome, but the greens in combination with the blue cheese was not too kind on the stomach! It was worth every cramp, two thumbs up!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese and Pecans


Ingredients
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 scallions, sliced on bias
4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
Special equipment: toothpicks

Directions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in gravy or pour over top. Serve with rice and greens, if desired.

Savory Swiss Chard

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch red or green or rainbow chard, stemmed and coarsely chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions
In a large skillet heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the greens to the pan and wilt. Season the greens with nutmeg and smoked sweet paprika or cumin, salt and pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes then serve.

Garlic-Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place asparagus in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper, pine nuts, sliced garlic and lemon juice. Place in oven for 17-20 minutes until tender.