Food and Recipes Meat Chicken Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken 5.0 (1) 1 Review Easy enough for a weeknight, but elegant enough for company. By Adam Dolge Adam Dolge Adam Dolge is a recipe developer, test cook and award-winning journalist with nearly 20 years experience writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. He graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America and his work has appeared in many national food magazines and websites, including Southern Living, EatingWell, Real Simple, and Food & Wine. Follow him on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 28, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 This asparagus-stuffed chicken recipe is tender and juicy and makes a beautiful presentation with vibrant colors of green and red from the veggies—plus, all that cheese oozing out. The sauce is shiny from the butter and rich from the chicken flavor. It's an all-around crowdpleaser and bound to be your new go-to. You're limited only by your imagination with this recipe as a foundation: Use it as a blueprint for making any variation of stuffed chicken. What You'll Need To Make Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken Start with boneless chicken breasts (in the range of 6 to 8 ounces each) and fresh asparagus. You’ll also need dried Italian seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, jarred roasted red bell pepper strips, Gruyère cheese, olive oil, dry cognac, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, and fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish. Everything is available at conventional grocery stores, with the possible exception of the Gruyère. If you struggle to find it, a replacement cheese is fine; Swiss would be well matched to this recipe. What Do You Stuff a Chicken With? Stuff chicken with a range of ingredients, from herbs and spices to fruits and vegetables, depending on the season and the taste preferences. For inspiration beyond this asparagus-stuffed chicken recipe, check out our recipes for Kentucky Hot Brown-Stuffed Chicken and Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Fried Chicken. You can even vary this asparagus-stuffed chicken recipe by mixing up the filling: Try hot peppers or pickled jalapeño and Cheddar, Comté and sun-dried tomatoes, or olives and feta. 105 Easy Chicken Recipes For A Quick Dinner Tonight Tips for Making Stuffed Chicken The asparagus should be approximately the size of the breast. The spears might slightly stick out either end, and that’s just fine. For a pretty presentation, consider letting the leafy top end stick out, and tuck the cut end inside the breast. Don’t forget to remove toothpicks before serving! Also, note that the handle will be super hot when the pan is removed from the oven. Leave a potholder on it as a reminder to be cautious. (Or invest in a silicone hot pan holder.) Frequently Asked Questions How do you keep stuffed chicken from drying out? Use a spoon to pick up liquid from the pan, and spoon it over the chicken as it cooks to impart moisture. How many days ahead can you cook chicken? One of the reasons chicken is such a popular protein choice is how well it keeps, compared to, say, fish. After cooking chicken, you can store it in the fridge for about three to four days and reheat without worry, according to the USDA. How do you make chicken more flavorful? Brining chicken before cooking it can boost the flavor. Adding herbs and spices—or citrus fruits—can also boost the flavor while the chicken is cooking. And stuffing chicken with any mix of seasonal ingredients—as in the asparagus and cheese in this recipe—can take the flavors to the next level, What Goes With Stuffed Chicken? Now that you know the main dish you're having, consider rounding out the plate with one of these sides: Smashed Baby Red Potatoes Harvest Salad Chopped Kale Salad With Toasted Breadcrumbs Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin. Ingredients 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning 3/4 tsp. kosher salt 3/4 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. onion powder 4 (6- to 7-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 6 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed to length of chicken breasts (about 12 medium asparagus spears) 1/2 cup (3 oz.) drained jarred roasted red bell pepper strips 2 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. dry cognac 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Directions Warm oven, make seasoning mix: Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir together Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl until combined. Make the stuffed chicken breasts: Make a pocket in each chicken breast by cutting the breast in half lengthwise most of the way but not all the way through to the other side of the breast. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over chicken breasts, including inside pockets. Add equal amounts of asparagus (about 3 spears each), roasted red pepper strips (about 2 tablespoons each), and Gruyère (about 3 tablespoons each) to each pocket. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Seal each seam with wooden picks by weaving back and forth between chicken on either side of the opening. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Cook chicken: Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add chicken, and cook until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place skillet in preheated oven, and cook until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer chicken to a clean cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Cook sauce: Meanwhile, carefully pour out oil from skillet into a heat-proof bowl, and discard oil, leaving any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Return skillet to medium, and add cognac; cook, whisking constantly, until mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in butter, and cook until melted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Whisk in broth, and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Serve: Remove wooden picks from chicken, and thinly slice each chicken breast against the grain. Divide sauce evenly among 4 plates, and top evenly with sliced chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Rate it Print