Chicken and Asparagus in Champagne Sauce

Looking for something to do with that leftover bottle of Bubbly from New Years.  This recipe is elegant enough for entertaining, but simple enough for a weeknight.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound asparagus, cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 large shallots, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1-1/2 cups champagne or proseco
1/2 cup half and half or light cream


Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook asparagus over medium high heat 3 minutes or until tender-crisp; remove.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil and add chicken to skillet.  Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat for about 6 minutes, turning once, until golden brown; remove.

Add butter to skillet and allow to melt.  Add shallot and cook 2 minutes stirring frequently.  Add tomato and cook 3 minutes until tomatoes start to break down.  Add champagne and bring to a boil.

Return chicken to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink inside.  Return asparagus to skillet, stir in half and half and cook just until heated through.

Serve over rice or pasta, and pour a glass of champagne!

If you don't have champagne or proseco, go ahead and use white wine instead.  And you can use a small onion and 2 garlic cloves if you don't have a shallot on hand.  If you would like the sauce to be a bit richer, stir in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter with the half and half to finish the sauce.

Here's Ben, styling his own plate!

Note the lack of asparagus...

Since I'm often trying to please meat and non meat-eaters, I try to come up with simple ideas to make everyone happy (especially me!)  For the veggie lovers...

Saute 1 sliced onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender and beginning to brown.  Add 3 crushed garlic cloves and 1 10-ounce bag of baby spinach.  Cook until spinach wilts.  Add 1 15-ounce can of drained cannellini beans and about 1/2 cup of champagne sauce stolen from the chicken (before you add the chicken).  Cook until heated through.