Garlic Chicken with Asparagus
Serves 4

I prefer to eat my veggies in season, even though most are now available year-round. But just because you can find asparagus in winter, doesn’t mean it tastes like it does in spring. Hardly! So please save this recipe for spring when you start seeing those beautiful green shoots appearing at your farmers’ markets.

1/4 cup olive oil
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skin on CHICKEN THIGHS,
    pounded to a 1/4-in thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 GARLIC cloves, minced
1 bunch ASPARAGUS, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped FRESH FLAT LEAF PARSLEY leaves
Grated zest and juice of 2 LEMONS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Put a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper. Put the chicken skin-side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the chicken, add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Add 1 cup water and deglaze the pan, scraping with a wooden spoon to get up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the asparagus, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender about 2 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest and juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.