Pasta with Chicken, Leeks, and
Swiss Chard and a Mushroom Variation*

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green portion, washed and thinly sliced
Swiss chard, one bunch washed with stems removed, and thinly sliced
3/4 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Red pepper flakes to taste, optional
Cooked chicken, 2 cups in small pieces
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
8 oz pasta, cooked
Grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, optional

In large non-stick skillet, add olive oil and heat over low. Add thinly sliced leeks to skillet. Sauté slowly until just until softened, but not colored. Add chicken broth and raise heat to medium. Add sliced chard and pepper flakes (if desired); cover pan, and reduce heat to low. Simmer just until chard is tender (about 4-6 minutes). Remove lid; add chicken, and heat through. Stir in pasta and remove pan from heat. Add goat cheese, and stir until completely blended. Add lemon juice and zest; plate, and garnish with grated cheese.

*An equally good variation on this recipe uses shiitake mushrooms in place of the chicken, and eliminates the leeks (mainly because we didn’t have any on hand).

Slice the mushrooms and sauté them in a small amount of olive oil before proceeding with the chicken broth, chard, etc.