Ingredients

• 1 pound slender asparagus spears
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 16 ounces penne pasta, uncooked
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

1. Trim asparagus and cut on diagonal into 1” pieces. Cut chicken into cubes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta, and cook as instructed on box or about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not add salt. Drain, and set aside.
3. Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, and season with pepper and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to paper towels.
4. Pour chicken broth into the skillet. Add asparagus, chopped garlic, a pinch more of garlic powder, oregano and pepper.
5. Cover and steam until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Return chicken to the skillet, and warm through.
7. Stir chicken mixture into pasta and mix well. Let sit about 5 minutes.
8. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir again, and then sprinkle with feta cheese.

Helpful hints

• One-pound fresh asparagus yields approximately 2 cups when trimmed.
• Feta cheese is very high in sodium. This dish was made low sodium by limiting feta to 1/4 cup, omitting salt and using low-sodium broth.
• 2 average chicken breasts without bones or skin is approximately 8 ounces.