Categories: Chicken, Main Dish, Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 French baguette
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed off and cut into 1-inch lengths (get pencil thin asparagus)
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
• 4 slices black forest ham, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°; preheat a big skillet over med-high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

2. Add in onion, thyme, and garlic; season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes until nice and brown.

3. Remove onions from the pan; add in the remaining olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.

4. Add in the chicken; season with salt and pepper; cook until lightly browned 3-4 minutes on each side.

5. While the chicken is cooking, split the French bread in half lengthwise, just shy of cutting it completely through.

6. Dig out some of the insides of the bread and discard.

7. Push the bread open and flatten out to keep it open.

8. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 5 tablespoons butter, a little salt and pepper, and 3 tablespoons parsley; evenly spread mixture on the inside of the bread.

9. Cut the buttered loaf into 4 portions, arrange on a cookie sheet; transfer to oven and bake about 5 minutes until golden brown.

10. Remove toasted bread from oven, set aside on the cookie sheet, and switch the broiler on.

11. Add the browned onions back to the skillet with the chicken; dust with the flour and continue to cook for 1 minute.

12. Whisk in the white wine, stock, and half-and-half; bring to a simmer.

13. Add in the asparagus and continue to cook 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus are tender and the sauce is thick.

14. In a small bowl, combine the grated cheese with the bread crumbs; toss to coat the cheese evenly with the breadcrumbs.

15. Stir the remaining parsley and chopped ham into the chicken and sauce.

16. Divide the creamy chicken into 4 portions in the pan, then transfer each portion to top the toasted bread.

17. Sprinkle a little of the cheese on top of the chicken, then transfer the cookie sheet to the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.

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