Rainy Saturday Evening = Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Vegetable Ragu & Salad

The rain held off long enough yesterday to get in a morning 5K at Liberty State Park for Earth Day. This race is always a treat with the beautiful surrounding scenery of downtown Manhattan, Ellis Island and Lady Liberty herself. Great way to spend a morning!

The rest of the day however was a wash, literally. It rained heavily and because of that the evening was spent cooking up a delicious dinner....Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Vegetable Ragu.

Traditional Italian Ragu is a meat-based sauce served with pasta, however, since I'm serving it with chicken breasts, I'm making the Ragu with vegetables instead. And, since pasta isn't allowed in my house these days, we're going to make this dish hearty enough to stand on it's own with a side of salad.

What you need:
Chicken Breasts (organic or not)
Fresh Garlic (3 cloves finely chopped)
1/2 a Sweet Onion (diced)
Baby Bella Mushrooms (or any type of mushroom, cleaned with a dry paper towel and sliced)
Asparagus (chopped, but still in large pieces)
1/2 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
Capers (if you like them)
Olive Oil
Romaine Lettuce or Mixed Greens
Your choice of vegetables to add to the salad (tonight I'm adding Red Bell Peppers and Radishes)
Grated Parmesan Cheese (if you're eating cheese)

How to make:
Carefully using a boning knife cut the chicken breasts through the middle lengthwise making them thinner and allowing for a few fillets per breast. I can usually get 2-3 fillets out of each breast, but it all depends how thick they are.

In a saute pan or non stick pan brown the chicken breasts seasoning each side with a little salt and pepper.  I usually add a little Pam to the pan so the chicken doesn't stick.

In a large saute pan saute the garlic, onion, asparagus and mushrooms in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, until the onions are translucent and the asparagus begins to soften (about 10-15 minutes).

Add the 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and the capers. Place the chicken breasts into the pan, submerged in the sauce, add a splash of olive oil (once or twice around the pan) and cook on a medium/low heat for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering and soaking up the flavors of the vegetable ragu, toss lettuce with chopped red bell peppers and radishes and dress with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Plate the chicken and top with vegetable ragu. Top with Parmesan cheese (if you're eating cheese) and ENJOY!