One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole

Comfort food you grew up with gets a one pot, lightened up, spring makeover! This One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight family dinner!

It appears I’m all about the one pot/skillet meals this week and why shouldn’t I be? They’re easy to make, minimal dishes to wash and generally comfort meals that everyone tends to like. Monday I made us healthier Chinese takeout and today it’s all about comfort food with this One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole.

I mentioned last week that you would be seeing at least a couple more recipes using seasonal spring asparagus in them, because quite frankly I can’t control myself when it’s around. I’ll roast a bunch of it on Sunday saying I’m going to add it to my salads or snack on it during the week, but the next thing I know I’ve already eaten half of it and I’ll be lucky if it lasts through Monday. This time around I decided to take a classic comfort food that I’m sure many of you have had, chicken and broccoli casserole, and give it a lightened up spring makeover.

On top of being excited to take a classic, lighten it up AND add one of my favorite vegetables to it, I was even more excited to cook this one pot meal in my new Wolf Gourmet cookware set. When the wonderful folks at Wolf Gourmet approached me with the opportunity to try out their 10-piece cookware set I jumped at the chance! My current pots and pans were starting to show some wear and tear and I had been considering upgrading. At first I was nervous about using stainless steel cookware because I had only ever used non-stick. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how evenly everything I cook has turned out and how durable the cookware set is, not to mention it’s gorgeous to look at!

Another feature I like are the longer and ergonomically designed handles, making lifting and pouring a breeze! I ended up using the 11.5 inch skillet to cook the One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole, but the 3.5 quart sautè pan would also work great. The 10-piece cookware set can be found at Bloomingdale’s.

So let’s get back to the casserole and what I did to lighten it up, but still keep that creamy cheesiness that you expect. First up was to replace higher fat milk or even cream with part low-sodium chicken broth and part unsweetened almond milk, skim milk would also work. To get the extra creamy flavor I wanted I added an ounce of 1/3 less fat cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt. The sauce was so thick and creamy I almost didn’t add in the cheese, but of course I couldn’t resist. A combination of Gruyere and sharp cheddar both melted in and on top of the casserole rounds out this one pot family friendly dinner and it is de-licious!

Thanks to the kind people at Wolf Gourmet for sending me their 10-piece cookware set to test out and review. As always all opinions are my own.

One Pot Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
• 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus, cut approximately 1 inch in length
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup milk, I used unsweetened almond milk
• 1 ounce low fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Season the cut chicken with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
2. Preheat oven to broil.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Spray the skillet generously with with cooking spray or add enough oil to coat the bottom.
5. Add the chicken to the skillet and sautè until nearly cooked, about 4 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken onto a plate and set aside.
7. Coat the skillet with more cooking spray or oil and add in the onion and garlic sautèing for 1 minute.
8. Add in the mushrooms and asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
9. Sautè the vegetables for another 2-3 minutes or until they start to soften.
10. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and stir together until the flour taste is cooked off, about 1 minute.
11. Add the chicken back in with the vegetables.
12. Add in the chicken broth and milk and stir together until smooth.
13. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
14. Add in the cream cheese and stir together until smooth.
15. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in most of the gruyere and cheddar cheese until melted, reserve a little cheese for the top of the casserole.
16. Stir in the Greek yogurt until smooth then top the casserole with the remaining cheese.
17. Place in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and starts to turn golden brown.
18. Serve the casserole as is or on top of rice or quinoa.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 705.51 Total Fat: 49.37g Carbohydrates: 24.89g Protein: 39.98g

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Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce