Chicken with Pepper and Asparagus

Stir-frying is not just for Chinese dishes. This quick and healthy method of cooking works just as beautifully in this chicken, pepper and asparagus sauté, seasoned with garlic and rosemary. A bowl of basmati rice is the perfect complement.

Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1 cm wide strips
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 green onions, cut into 2 cm lengths
370 g chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1 cm wide strips
750 g asparagus, cut into 5 cm lengths
1 1⁄2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
3⁄4 cup reduced-salt chicken stock
1 1⁄2 teaspoons cornstarch blended with 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons toasted, finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pepper, garlic and green onions to the pan and cook until the pepper is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken, asparagus, lemon rind and rosemary to the frying pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened. Add the walnuts to the chicken, pepper and asparagus, toss to combine, then serve.

preparation time 20 mins
cooking time 10 mins
serves 4

Nutritional information

PER SERVING

250 calories
29 g protein
13 g total fat
3 g saturated fat
75 mg cholesterol
5 g total carbohydrate
4 g sugars
3 g fibre
195 mg sodium

The grated lemon rind and rosemary in this dish have such powerful flavours that you will never miss the fat that would ordinarily have been used in a dish like this.

Source: Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart, Reader's Digest Canada