Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus to the pasta. Cook them, with the pasta, for about 5 minutes. Once cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.

Step 2

On a flat surface, butterfly the two chicken breasts into 4 thinner pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Step 3

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and heat it up.

Step 4

Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and cook, without moving them, for 4 minutes on the first side, then once golden and seared, flip them over and continue cooking for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken breasts’ internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from pan onto a cutting board.

Step 5

To the same pan, add the butter and melt it, add the garlic, and stir to cook the garlic for about 30 seconds.

Step 6

Add the chicken broth and milk or half and half to the pan, bringing it to a simmer while stirring the tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.

Step 7

Once the sauce is ready, cut the chicken breasts diagonally into 1/2-inch strips and transfer them into the pan with the juices from the board.

Step 8

To the sauce, add the drained pasta, asparagus, parmesan cheese, and squeeze 1/2 of the lemon into the pan. Give everything a good toss to combine and add some of the reserved pasta water if you wish to thin out the sauce.

Step 9

Serve with additional parmesan cheese over the top and a lemon wedge if desired.