Give your chicken a burst of flavour

Chicken and vegetables are the quintessential go-to dinnertime foods but eating the same recipe over and over can get boring quickly. An easy way to freshen up your dish while sticking to your tried and true stables is by switching up the chicken recipe and swapping in seasonal vegetables.

Instead of boiled chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli, try seared chicken with quinoa and fresh asparagus, which is popping up in the produce section as the weather gets more spring-like.

Asparagus spears are high in vitamin K and folate, and add a great crunch to stir-frys, salads and pasta dishes. They can be baked with cheese in flaky phyllo tarts, chopped up and tossed into an omelette or drenched in hollandaise. Here I’ve kept it simple by searing the spears in olive oil with lemon juice.

Easy-to-cook quinoa with sun-dried tomatoes provides added protein, magnesium and carbs for energy. A creamy Greek yogurt sauce adds flavour.

Chicken and asparagus on quinoa with lemon-garlic yogurt sauce

Star Tested For the yogurt sauce

1/4 cup (60 ML) plain Greek yogurt

1 finely minced garlic clove

1 tsp (5 ML) fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp (5ML) lemon zest, for garnish For the quinoa

1/2 cup (125 ML) no-salt added chicken broth 1/4 cup (60 ML) dried quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained

2 whole oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, diced Salt and pepper, to taste For the chicken and asparagus

2 tsp (10 ML) olive oil

8 oz (225 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

5 asparagus spears, ends trimmed

1 tsp (5 ML) fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper, to taste In a small mixing bowl, stir together yogurt, garlic and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a small pot over medium heat, bring chicken broth and quinoa to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to low and cook on a slow simmer until liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain any excess liquid.

Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and fluff with fork. Transfer to serving plate.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat. Grill or sauté chicken breast until fully cooked and no longer pink in the centre, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into strips. Transfer to serving plate.

Add asparagus to same pan or skillet. Cook until slightly tender but still crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes. Splash with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving plate.

Add dollop of yogurt sauce to chicken and garnish with lemon zest, if using. Serve immediately. Makes 1 serving. karonliu@thestar.ca

KARON LIU/TORONTO STAR Plain Greek yogurt, minced garlic and lemon juice is all you need for a creamy sauce to spice up your regular dinner of chicken and vegetables.