Chicken Au Champagne and Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus

I recently picked up a copy of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat (I know, I know, I'm like four years late on this) and came across a recipe that looked like a good one to try for chicken cooked in Champagne. I was pleased with the result and will definitely make this again. Her recipe made enough for four people, so I halved it since I was only cooking for two. Recipe below...

Chicken Au Champagne

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts with skin and bone (I went for the organic breasts at Whole Foods; you can usually get them in a pack of two)
Salt and pepper (kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if you have them)
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme, optional (just choose one... I used a little fresh thyme, but you could also use dried)
1 small shallot, quartered
3/4 cup Champagne (Mireille recommends Veuve Clicquot, but of her own admission is biased since she works there; I felt Veuve was a little extravagant for a weeknight meal, so I got a bottle in the $20 - $25 range... a nice Brut of some kind will work fine for this -- just stay away from the sweet stuff since you're going for a savory dish)

1. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan (I just used an 8x8 glass Pyrex since that's what I had), and season them with salt and pepper (if using a dried spice, sprinkle a small amount over each breast). Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Insert a piece (or two) of shallot under the skin of each breast (Note: you don't want to detach the skin from the breast; just gently run your index and middle finger under the skin to create a pocket big enough to get the shallot underneath). Since I used fresh thyme, I put a sprig under the skin of each breast as well.
2. Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/4 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.
4. Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and enjoy.

You could serve this meal with something as simple brown rice and a fresh steamed veggie of your choosing. I wanted to pair the chicken with something a little more fun while still trying to keep things fairly healthy. So, I dug around on epicurious.com and found the following recipe for a bulgur wheat risotto, which turned out delicious. This dish worked great as a side, but could have easily stood as a meal by itself. I tweaked their recipe a little after comparing it to a traditional risotto, but not by much... I added 1/2 cup of wine to the list of ingredients (a traditional ingredient for a risotto, which adds a nice depth of flavor) before adding the broth and adjusted some of the cooking times. I also heated the broth in a separate pan before ladling it into the bulgur. If you've never made a risotto before, try it. They're easier and quicker to make than you think -- just requires a little patience at the stove.

Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus
serves six as a first course

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter (you could probably get away with 3 tablespoons here... two at the outset and one at the end)
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups bulgur (I found this in the bulk section of my grocer)
4 cups (about) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Champagne since that's what I had open)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (unthawed)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup whipping cream (if you're freaking out about whipping cream, I suppose you could substitute half-and-half instead, but keep in mind that this is a pretty small amount when you consider the distribution among six servings)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I used a little less than a teaspoon of dried since that's what I had. You could omit altogether if you're not a fan of the taste -- remember that a little goes a long way with dried spices, ESPECIALLY tarragon!)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over a low heat. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion; sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add the bulgur and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine/champagne and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup (give or take; I usually use a ladle for this part) of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the bulgur, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to be absorbed before adding the next, until the bulgur is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.
4. When you are down to your last ladle of broth, add the asparagus to the mixture. (Note: the original recipe said to add the asparagus after the third ladling of broth, but I ignored this because asparagus cooks in a just a few minutes and I'm not a fan of mushy asparagus. Who is?) When the last of the stock has been absorbed, add the peas and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan, cream, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Serve immediately (with additional grated Parmesan, if desired).

Final Notes:
If you wanted to make the Chicken Au Champagne dish for four people (or have leftovers), use 1 cup Champagne instead of 3/4 (i.e., 1/2 c. at the outset and another 1/2 c. on the second request for it).

If you're looking to make less of the bulgur, I would use the following recipe as a guide for measuring things out: Giada DeLaurentiis's Champagne Risotto. This serves 2 (as a main portion I think; it basically cuts the measurements of the above recipe in half).

This meal would be great for a date night...