Asiago Cream Chicken and Potatoes

First off, this one has everything that is right about winter food. Potatoes. Cheese. Cream. Second Cheese. Garlic. All that good stuf.

Secondly, you need to put some time into this one. But, roasting the garlic and getting the potatoes pre-cooked helps trim down as much time as possible. Trust me, though, it’s all worth it.

ASIAGO CREAM CHICKEN AND POTATOES

• 2 heads of garlic
• Olive oil
• 6 medium potatoes, diced
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 5 oz. shredded Asiago
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 slices bacon
• ½ cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the tops off the heads of garlic to expose a good cross-section of each head. Drizzle each with olive oil. Wrap each in a loose purse of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for one hour.

About ten minutes before they are done, dice potatoes and toss with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper (or whatever other seasoning you want to use). When garlic is done, set aside and allow to cool for a bit. Increase oven heat to 400 degrees F. Pour diced potatoes into a 9×13 baking dish. Bake in oven for 40 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, remove garlic cloves from peels and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash with a spoon. Add cream cheese, Asiago, sour cream, and heavy cream. Stir together with a spatula and make sure everything is fully incorporated.

Halfway through the baking, season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute in a large pan in olive oil over medium-high heat until both sides are crisp and browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

When potatoes are done, remove from oven and nestle chicken among them. Dollop cream cheese mixture on top of chicken and potatoes. Top with mozzarella and parsley. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

While baking, crisp bacon in a fry pan, allow to cool, and crumble into small pieces. When chicken is done, top with bacon bits and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!