For this elegant dish, boneless chicken breast and asparagus are smothered in a luxurious white-wine sauce with just the right amount of melted Gruyère cheese. Tarragon and lemon add a delicious light flavor that is perfect with asparagus.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1-1 1/4 pounds), trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and steam for 3 minutes. Uncover, remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Whisk broth and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour, shaking off any excess.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
5. Add shallot, wine and the reserved broth mixture to the pan; cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice and the reserved asparagus until combined. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 306 calories; 15 g fat (6 g sat, 6 g mono); 91 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 1 g fiber; 298 mg sodium; 343 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (36% daily value), Calcium (25% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 4 lean meat, 1/2 fat

This dish tasted wonderful. I did everything as specified, except I used garlic instead of shallots. It was nice enough for a dinner party or just a dinner at home.

Anonymous, Sterling, VA

My family thought this was just average. A little bland for us. Probably won't add this to my permanent recipe file. :)

Sharon , Little Rock, AR

We made this last night and quite enjoyed it. Instead of using shallots, we used onion. Did not have gruyere cheese, so used smoked gouda and ti gave the dish another depth of flavor. Added more lemon juice than specified, along with lemon zest, as we love anything lemony. We are always looking for new chicken recipes, which don't add tons of fat. This felt indulgent, while being still being pretty healthy. This recipe seems pretty versatile. We used asparagus, as it is on sale this week, but won't be using it when it is expensive. Muschrooms and artichoke hearts seem like they would work well, in place of asparagus.

dottie