Recipes: Balsamic Chicken & Asparagus Lasagna

Mar. 24, 2008— -- After a day at the office, or running around after the kids, or both - it's not easy to whip up a healthy meal for your family. 'GMA' Food Editor Sara Moulton has come to your rescue.

Her new series, "Sara's Weeknight Meals," shows how you can make fast, tasty and healthy meals from pantry staples. Sara joined 'GMA' today and shares two of her stress-free recipes below.

The balsamic vinegar in this recipe -and you can use the regular old affordable supermarket variety-provides a sweet and sour base and great depth of flavor to this very quick sauce. This sauce would go nicely on sautéed pork chops or a flavorful fish such as salmon or bluefish as well. Serve with Smashed Potatoes and Sautéed Spinach with Garlic.

Makes 4 servings

Hands-on time: 15 minutes

Total preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves with the skin but no bone (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup )
1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
4 plum tomatoes, (about 1 pound) chopped or one 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes with the liquid
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup canned chicken broth or Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Sauté for 6 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn the chicken over and sauté for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer with tongs or a slotted spoon to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened slightly, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add any juices from the chicken plate to the pan and the butter and heat just until the butter is melted. Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to each of 4 plates and top each serving with some of the sauce.
*Recipe courtesy of "Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals," Broadway Books, 2005.

This is a recipe for spring, even though you can buy asparagus from South America out of season. Asparagus is tastier if you buy it locally and in season. All thicknesses are fine with me-- from the pencil thin spears to the thick asparagus. However, I recommend that if it is thicker than, say, one-third of an inch you should peel it from right below the tip to the end. Break off the woody section of the stems first, which usually means the bottom inch or so.

By the way, there's no reason to put this recipe up on the shelf when asparagus is out of season. It's just as delicious with broccoli flowerets or sautéed spinach. Serve with marinated Roasted Peppers(page 000) and a tossed green salad.

Serves 4 to 6

Hands-on time: 20 minutes

Total preparation time: 65 minutes

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

1 medium onion, halved and sliced (about 1 cup )

2 garlic cloves, sliced (about 2 teaspoons)

One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour

18 refrigerated wonton skins

8 ounces Italian Fontina cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler to high. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and an 13 - x 9-inch square pan. Combine the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Peel the lower stalks of the asparagus if they are thicker than 1/3-inch. Toss the asparagus in the oil mixture and arrange at one end of the oiled baking sheet. Toss the onion and garlic in any remaining oil in the same bowl and arrange it on the other end of the baking sheet. Broil until the edges just begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Combine the onion and garlic with the ricotta cheese, flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a blender; puree until smooth. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Arrange 6 wonton skins in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the asparagus, one-third of the ricotta mixture, and one-third of the Fontina cheese. Add another 6 wonton skins, the remaining asparagus, another one-third of ricotta mixture and Fontina cheese. Top with the remaining wonton skins, ricotta mixture, and cheese.