Sweet Pepper Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne and Roasted Garlic Asparagus

My favorite part of leaving winter behind is the explosion of color in my fresh produce options. Suddenly, my kitchen transforms into a rainbow of delicious possibility, and the dreary days of winter and dull, lifeless food seem to fly out the window. This dish is a celebration of colorful rainbows of culinary possibility. Oh, and it's super easy, super healthy, and a great way to get your vitamins in for the day.

Prepare your palate for a delicious treat of Sweet Pepper Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne and Roasted Garlic Asparagus.  We ate this with a crisp spinach salad and savored every bite!   

Let me say-I have always hated peppers. I remember being served stuffed green peppers as a child and hated them, and I think my aversion comes from that. I have learned to like red and yellow bell peppers, but my world was literally rocked a few weeks ago when I had my first sweet baby pepper. It was like eating vegetable candy, and I have been hooked every since. This simple dish was a great chance to allow some chicken to absorb the sweet, succulent flavor of these peppers. The green onions added another flavor dimension and really bumped this dish up to a 10 for me. The asparagus was a deliciously simple pleasure, and the addition of a nutrient-rich spinach salad rounds this out and makes it both healthy and delicious.

So here you go.

Start with the chicken. Two large breasts will do you just fine.

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, season with some salt and pepper, and set aside.

Get your gorgeous baby peppers out and slice them into rings. Set them aside.

Get some green into this dish with the green onions. Roughly chop them and set them aside as well. Note: I keep my green onions in water a mason jar and trim them every few days. They last a lot longer, and you can even save the bulb at the end to grow more in water! Check out Pinterest for ideas on that :)

Make sure you have already minced two cloves of garlic, and then in a large bowl, mix your peppers, onions, chicken, garlic, and add a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the juice of one lemon and some kosher salt to the mixture.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the entire mixture to the pan and saute until the chicken is cooked through (5-7 minutes). Don't turn the heat up too high because you will dry out the chicken and scorch the peppers. Isn't it so colorful and pretty?

While the chicken is cooking, set a medium sized pan of water to boil, and when it is rolling, add a teaspoon of salt and two cups of whole wheat pasta to the water. 

Cook 7-8 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, or slightly chewy. Drain the pasta, and serve the chicken and peppers over the penne.

Now for your asparagus (you can definitely cook this when your chicken is cooking, and it will all come together within minutes of each other and you can serve it all when it is piping hot). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread a washed bunch of fresh asparagus over the sheet. Brush the asparagus with olive oil using a pastry brush, and sprinkle kosher salt and three cloves of minced garlic over the spears of asparagus. You could also add some grated parmigiana cheese too if you would like.

Bake 8-11 minutes, until the asparagus is tender and garlic slightly browned. Serve immediately.

We also had this yummy spinach salad on the side. I dressed it with some red wine vinegar and olive oil and it was divine.

The finished product is light, tender and flavorful-the perfect spring meal to enjoy on an evening when the windows are open and the sun is setting. Perfection.

Sweet Pepper Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne and Roasted Garlic Asparagus

Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne

Ingredients

-Two trimmed, boneless chicken breasts

-Eight small, sweet baby peppers (you can find these in higher-end grocery stores, or at Costco)

-Two cloves of minced garlic

-6-7 chopped green onions

-Juice of one lemon

-Season salt

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Sea Salt

-Pepper

-Two cups of whole wheat penne pasta

1. Chop your chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Slice baby peppers into rings, set aside.

3. Roughly chop your green onions, set aside.

4. Mince the garlic with a garlic press, knife, or small micro-plane grater.

5. Combine your chicken, onions, peppers, and minced garlic in a large bowl. Add a generous drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil  to the mixture, and add the lemon juice and a dash of season salt. Mix well and allow the chicken to marinate in the mixture for at least twenty minutes.

6. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is heated, add the entire bowl to the pan, and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Don't cook this over a really high flame, or you will dry the chicken out and scorch your peppers.

7. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and add a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. Add the dried penne pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente (7-8 minutes), or slightly chewy. 

8. Serve the chicken over the penne and enjoy a vitamin-packed, healthy meal!

Roasted Garlic Asaparagus

Ingredients

-One bunch of fresh asparagus

-One tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Kosher Salt

-3 cloves of minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread the asparagus over the baking sheet.

3. Using a pastry brush, brush the asparagus with the olive oil.

4. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and the minced garlic. You could also add a bit of parmigiana cheese if you would like.

5. Bake 8-11 minutes until the asparagus is tender.