Spring Chicken Sauté
Tender sautéed chicken over a swoosh of creamy herbes de Provence yogurt, piled high with asparagus, leeks, and peas – this spring chicken sauté tastes way more impressive than an easy weeknight dinner. Which is exactly why it’s such a favorite. The chicken cooks in under 10 minutes, the spring vegetables are done in five, and the yogurt sauce comes together while everything else is in the pan. It’s gluten-free, naturally low-carb, and ready in 20 minutes flat – perfect for busy families who want a dinner that actually feels like spring.
Fancy-ish and super simple.
This is a meal where humble ingredients come together in an elevated way. It’s delicious, nutritious, and easy enough for weeknight dinners! It’s…
🌿 Bright & fresh: Asparagus, leeks, and peas make every bite taste like the season actually showed up for dinner.
⏱️ Ready in 25 minutes: Thinly sliced chicken cooks lightning fast, so this is genuinely weeknight-proof.
🥣 Fancy without the fuss: The herbes de Provence yogurt sauce sounds impressive but takes about two minutes to stir together.
🥗 Light & satisfying: Naturally gluten-free and low in carbs, but filling enough to be a complete meal.
🔄 Totally flexible: Swap in whatever spring vegetables look good at the market – it works with whatever you have.
While asparagus is in-season and fresh, I love to include it in all sorts of meals – asparagus tartine sandwich is an open-faced fancy meal for spring parties or lunches, and grilled asparagus in foil is simple and quick for a dinner side – just be careful to not overcook it!
This is one of my favorite recipes, especially when the asparagus is in (our) season! Thanks so much! –Mary
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this light spring dinner to the table: thinly sliced chicken breasts, plain Greek yogurt, herbes de Provence (or Italian seasoning), asparagus, a medium leek, frozen peas, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: The single biggest key to keeping this truly 20 minutes is using thinly sliced chicken breasts – or pounding regular ones thin before you start. Thicker chicken will take significantly longer and throw off your whole timing. If you’re pounding your own, aim for about ½-inch thickness throughout.
- Feeding kids without pressure: Serve the components separately if it’s a new meal and include a few sides you know your kids will eat (milk, fruit, bread and butter) if they aren’t into the veggies and yogurt.
- Additions: A handful of fresh mint, dill, or chives stirred into the yogurt before serving is a lovely spring upgrade.
Spring Chicken Sauté
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
This spring chicken sauté with asparagus, leeks, and peas comes together in just 25 minutes. Delicious, fresh, and easy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. thinly sliced chicken breast (or you can pound it thin yourself!)
- 1 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tsp. herbs de provence
- 1 Tbsp. + 1–2 tsp. olive oil
- 3/4 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces (about 2-3 cups)
- 1 medium leek, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup peas (frozen work well!)
Instructions
- Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3–4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the yogurt, herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Add another teaspoon of olive oil if the pan looks dry. Add the leeks and cook for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and peas and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
- Spread the yogurt mixture across 4 plates, then top with the chicken and one-quarter of the vegetables.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Keep the yogurt sauce separate if possible – it holds best on its own.
Ingredients: If you can’t find herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning is a reliable swap and uses the same quantity. The recipe is very flexible with produce. Snap peas, zucchini, baby spinach, green beans, or broccolini all work well. The key is cutting everything into similar-sized pieces so it cooks evenly in those quick 5 minutes. Add more delicate greens (like spinach) in the last minute so they don’t overcook.
Prep ahead: Mix the yogurt sauce up to a day ahead and refrigerate. You can also trim and cut the asparagus and slice the leek the night before, so everything is ready to go when you get home.
Tools: A meat mallet makes quick work of pounding chicken to even thickness, which is the key technique in this recipe. If you don’t have one, a heavy skillet works fine.
Serve with: This is a complete meal as written, but it’s especially good alongside quinoa, crusty bread, or a simple arugula salad.
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer and founder of My Everyday Table, where she helps busy families take the stress out of weeknight dinners. With a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and almost 20 years of experience, Emily specializes in simple, nourishing recipes and weekly meal plans that actually work for everyday life. She’s a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who believes delicious food and good nutrition go hand in hand.
Get started: Weeknight Dinners Guide | Weekly Meal Plans | About Emily
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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this looks like a wonderful dinner, carbs or not! 🙂
It is, I’m happily having leftovers for lunch today! 🙂
This looks fab, I love the yogurt sauce ! Thank you for being candid about the g.d. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my second pregnancy too, and was also devastated. It was shocking because I eat so well. It later made some sense as the beginning of my pregnancy I was so nauseous that I would eat whatever I could grab and that was almost always a quick fix of kefir and cereal. After the diagnosis I switched to plain kefir and sprouted cereal, then snacked on almonds whenever I was hungry. You’re allowed to feel frustrated with the diagnosis, but know that it will go away as soon as you have the baby and won’t be something you struggle with again. If this was happening 25 years ago you would not have been diagnosed, they recently changed the blood sugar level standards (and who knows, maybe they did this to play it safe, maybe they did it to sell more drugs?) Keep up the inspiring recipes & posts! xoxo
Hi Courtney, thanks so much for sharing your experience! It’s always helpful to hear from other people who have had it and that everything turned out just fine. And I just had my almonds. 😉
Emily!
Made this tonight and my husband practically licked the pan! It was so delicious; I’m so glad you shared this!!
YAY! I’m so glad to hear this, Betsy! So glad you let me know and so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Emily be kind to Emily!
It isn’t your fault you are struggling with gestational diabetes. Goodness knows you eat well and very thoughtfully. I hope it will go away as soon as possible after the baby arrives. Be well and thanks for the recipes.
I am going to try this lovely recipe very soon.
Emily, this is one of my favorite recipes, especially when the asparagus is in (our) season! Thanks so much!
I’m so glad, Mary! Thanks for letting me know!