I have intended to share this one for a while, but always get caught up in the eating part and not the photographing food part. For an easy, one skillet meal, this is probably my husband’s favorite. Huge flavor and our favorite from the garden right now, fresh asparagus. This plate is low cost, elegant — perhaps a little sexy — and packed with flavor!

Here is what you need to prepare this skillet meal of 4 or 6 servings.

4-6 medium to large boneless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally through the center (but not all the way through) to butterfly

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon of Butter

24-36 fresh asparagus spears, washed and tough ends snapped off

1 package cream cheese, sliced lengthwise into 6 1/4” thick slices

1/2 white or yellow onion, minced

1 can cream of celery soup, gluten free if needed (there is no gluten in the rest of the recipe.). You can also use cream of mushroom or cream of chicken.

Salt, Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Garlic Powder

1/4 cup cream or half and half

1/4 cup cheese — use what you have, but I prefer Parmesan

How I throw this together:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Add Olive Oil and Butter to large black skillet.

Butterfly all of the chicken breasts, and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika on both sides.

Assemble chicken breasts by laying 6 asparagus spears on one side of the breasts, topped by one slice of the cream cheese. Fold the other side over to create the stuffed breasts and put each stuffed breasts in the skillet.

Mixed together onion, cream of celery soup and cream and pour over the top of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle additional smoke paprika for color, if desired. Never can have enough for me!

Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Check the internal temperature at the end of the time to make sure the chicken has reached 165º.

Sprinkle cheese on top and put the skillet back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I cooked a little black rice on the side because it is so full of nutrition and looks beautiful under the chicken breasts. This dish would also be delicious with thin sliced roasted red potatoes if desired, but will stand alone as a low carb flavor packed dish.

Hope you try this soon. It is fresh asparagus season.

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Your Iron Maiden,

Kim Orsini

Black Skillet Cooking