Pan-Seared Chicken and Asparagus Linguine Alfredo

I love Spring.  As the season gets rolling, the grocery stores suddenly start bursting with wonderful produce.  Jeremy found some great strawberries to add to cereal and I found some great asparagus.  Asparagus is one of Jeremy's favorite veggies so whenever it looks good and is a reasonable price, I make sure I buy some and incorporate it into dinner.

An alfredo sauce is one of my standbys.  I almost always have the ingredients needed for it and it's quick and delicious.  I make mine with skim milk as I can't justify the heavy cream called for in most recipes.  The addition of just a little flour thickens it up without all the extra fat.

This came together really quickly.  I was very pleased because the chicken stayed nice and moist and the asparagus was fantastic.  We have a bit of leftover linguine and asparagus that I'm sure Jeremy will be happy to polish off tomorrow.

As usual, I had whole wheat pasta on hand so that's what I used for this recipe.  It was very tasty - probably one of the best alfredo sauces I've made.  I've also made this using grilled chicken - it's very tasty too - but tonight I felt like pan-searing the flour-coated chicken.

The timing on this isn't too difficult... start the chicken slightly before you start the pasta water.  I added the pasta to the water about the same time I was removing the chicken from the pan.  Then I started the sauce and was cooking the sauce while the asparagus and pasta were cooking.

Recipe:
1 large (or 2 small) chicken breast, butterflied
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. AP flour (for dredging)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 pinches of crushed red pepper flake (divided)
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.), cut into 2 inch pieces
8 oz. whole wheat linguine
1 c. skim milk
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 tbs. AP flour
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbs. dried parsley flakes
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the 1/4 c. flour in a shallow bowl for dredging. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste and sprinkle the garlic powder over both sides of the chicken. Dredge in flour so coated on both sides.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper.  Add chicken to the pan and sear on both sides until cooked through.  When chicken is finished, wrap it in foil and place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm.
3. While chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add linguine.
4. Mix milk, chicken stock, and 2 tbs. flour in a bowl.  In skillet (the same one you cooked the chicken in), add one tbs. of olive oil, garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flake. Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add milk mixture and reduce heat to medium-low.  Whisk occasionally to pick up any bits stuck to the pan.  When the sauce begins to thicken, add the parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Three to four minutes before the pasta is done add the asparagus to the boiling water. When asparagus and pasta are both cooked, drain.
5. Add pasta and asparagus to the sauce.
6. Serve topped with the chicken.