Mother's Day Chicken and Asparagus

Before I left on my trip, I got this post ready, but forgot to schedule it.  I just realized it was here and ready to go for Mother's Day, so I decided I would post it now.  This is a favorite recipe that I make every year when all the fresh Asparagus is available.  It is a perfect dish for Easter or Mother's Day, because it has an elegant, gourmet presentation and taste,  and yet it is very simple and easy to make.  The creamy sauce reminds me of a curry flavored hollandaise.   If I make it on a Sunday, I put the chicken and sauce together and bake it on  a low heat while we are at Church.  I make the rice ahead, only needing to warm it when I get home, and have the asparagus in the pan with a little water, ready to turn on.  Then it is just a snap to finish it off and serve it up.

Asparagus Chicken

Ingredients

1 Un-cooked Chicken cut up into pieces and skin removed;  or about 6 of your favorite pieces of chicken (bone in is fine); thighs or breasts or what ever you like....I love chicken thighs better than breast because they are moist, but of course they have more fat; so whatever you like.

1 large bunch of Fresh Asparagus

1/4 cup butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup mayonnaise

The juice of a 1 lemon (this is about 2 Tablespoons)

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

1.      Turn oven to 375 degrees ( or  if you are going to go off for a couple of hours and want to let it cook while you are gone, you can preheat to 375 degrees, let your chicken bake while you prepare the sauce, and then turn the oven down to 300 degrees when you put it back in to cook).

2.     Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and place in a casserole pan.  Put in oven to bake a little before you put the sauce over them.

3.     In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter and add mushrooms;  Saute mushrooms until tender.

4.     Slowly add flour and stir, making a roux with butter and mushrooms.

5.     Slowly add milk, stirring constantly;  Cook gently until thickened. Remove from heat.

6.    Add Mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper and stir until well         mixed.

7.     Take chicken from oven. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

8.     Return to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

9.     While the chicken is cooking, rinse Asparagus.  Break off the woody bottoms of the stems.

10.   Place the Asparagus in a sauce pan with water just partly covering the Asparagus. Bring to boil and steam about five to ten minutes (depending on how thick the stems are) or until the stems are tender, but not too soft.

11.     Cook rice according to instructions. 

12.    When chicken is done, I like to dish each plate up, that way I can serve it plated real pretty.  Here is how:  Spoon your rice. Take up 5 or 6 spears of Asparagus and lay over the rice. Place a chicken piece on top of that. With a spoon ladle up more sauce from your baking pan, and pour around chicken and over Asparagus and rice.  Serve with a salad and rolls.

Enjoy and Have a wonderful Mother's Day!