Chicken Asparagus Swiss Casserole

This is an elegant and flavorful casserole quick enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough for company. If you don't like the taste of wine in your food, substitute chicken broth.

Asparagus is already looking delicious around here this year, so when they finally start sprouting up north, I bet it will be a good crop. If you find tough stalks in your asparagus, the ones that never get tender no matter how long you cook them, peel off the outer skin with a paring knife. You'll save more of the vegetable that way than just throwing out the bottom of the stems.

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups asparagus spears, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 tsp tarragon, crumbled
1 tsp dry ground mustard
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup white bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
2 tbsp parmesan or romano cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and put your (non-cutting) hand on top. With a sharp knife, cut through each chicken breast lengthwise to produce two thinner breasts. This will make the chicken cook more quickly while staying tender during the cooking time.

Oil an 8x8 casserole dish with cooking spray. Place two breasts in the casserole, then sprinkle with half the asparagus, tarragon, mustard, and cheese. Pour half the wine over the chicken. Layer the rest of the chicken and other ingredients on top, then pour on the rest of the wine. Stir together the bread crumbs and parmesan, then sprinkle on top of the casserole.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender.

Serves 4.