Creamy Chicken, Asparagus and Mushroom Pesto Sauce over Basmati Rice

This is such a wonderfully creamy and satisfying meal that took me less than 30 minutes to make today for lunch! I am not kidding...watch out Rachel Ray!

All of the vegetables are fresh which lends so much flavor to the sauce. And the Basmati rice is a perfect companion to this dish...however, I can see it paired nicely with fettuccine noodles too.

You will need:

5 boneless and skinless chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts, cubed

15 Asparagus spears- thick ones, cut into 4ths. Remember to remove the woody bottoms

1 medium onion, cut into slices

1 cup each of the following sliced mushrooms: enoki, shitake and portabella ( or reg. button mushrooms)

3/4 a cup of whole cream ( 15% works too )

3-4 tbsps of pesto

2 tbsps butter

1/4 tsp. garlic powder ( or 1 crushed clove )

olive oil- to sauté with

salt and pepper- to taste

1 and 1/2 cups basmati rice cooked according to package instructions

Directions

1 In a large sauté pan on med-high sauté the salted and peppered cubes of chicken thighs or breast in a few drizzles of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Add 2 tbsps of pesto half way through cooking the chicken.

2 Cook 1 and a half cups of basmati rice according to package instructions. It should be done

before the end of the meal preparation. I like to cook mine in a rice cooker.3

3 When the chicken is no longer pink add the sliced onions and quartered asparagus spears. Season with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Mix well and sauté evenly until the asparagus are tender but still crunchy.

4 Add the mushrooms, another 1-2 tbsps. of pesto, 3/4 a cup of whole cream and season with salt and pepper again. Taste to see if properly seasoned, if not adjust the seasonings.

5 Add the last tbsp of butter and let the mixture simmer and thicken over low heat.

6 Serve immediately over basmati rice.