Chicken Kiev and Roasted Asparagus with Dijon-Lemon Sauce

Monday night I needed an easy recipe with minimal ingredients after a long day at work. I decided on my mother-in-law's recipe for Chicken Kiev which used to be and may still be one of Matt's favorite meals. I had some leftover asparagus from Sunday's dinner so I decided to make another recipe, Roasted Asparagus with Dijon-Lemon Sauce courtesy of Cooking Light, September 2007. In addition to the two recipes I decided to mash up some sweet potatoes that I received in my last Boston Organics box. My chicken dish wasn't the healthiest (lots and lots of butter) but with all my veggies I think it was the perfect meal! Who doesn't like a healthy dose of butter every now and then?!


Lauren's review: Everything was fantastic! The only thing I need to remember is that if I'm using a small, averaged size chicken breast just to pound it down very thin, it doesn't need to be cut in half (as the recipe suggests) unless it's an usually large chicken breast.
Matt's review: I love, love, loved this dinner! It reminds me of what my mom(my) used to make. *I guess switching from mommy to mom was hard transition for Matt to make?!*
Final decision: If you couldn't tell, both recipes were keepers and apparently I'm supposed to continue making mashed sweet potatoes just like this!

Chicken Kiev

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts cut in half
1 T chopped green onion
1 T snipped parsley
1/4 lb stick butter chilled
1/4 c. flour
1 beaten egg
1/2 c fine dry non flavored bread crumbs *I used whole wheat bread crumbs*
1/4 c butter *all of this butter reminds me, fondly, of Paula Deen*

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken into halves, lengthwise, and pound out until the chicken is 1/8 inches thick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion, and parsley. Cut 8 rectangles out of stick of butter, a half of a stick long. Roll the chicken around the butter rectangles, tucking in the ends to form a tight seal. Coat with flour, dip in egg and then roll in bread crumbs. Chill in the fridge while you melt the 1/4 c. butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chicken in the pan for about 2-3 minutes a side. Place the browned chicken in a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serves 4


Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 T butter
sea salt
cinnamon

Boil sweet potatoes in water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the water and return the sweet potatoes back to the pot. Add butter, salt, and cinnamon and mash. Voila!


Roasted Asparagus with Dijon-Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine asparagus, 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and garlic in a large bowl, tossing well to coat. Arrange asparagus mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons oil, rind, juice, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Arrange asparagus on a platter; drizzle juice mixture over asparagus. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 6