Stir Fry Chicken and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Up until now, I haven't grown enough Swiss Chard to have more than a few leaves combined in a salad with some other greens.  I've never cooked Swiss Chard in my life.  Yesterday, I felt that I finally had enough of it to make a small side dish of sauteed Swiss Chard, which I decided to serve with some Chicken-Veggie stir fry.

I harvested a bunch of leaves, along with some other herbs:

A Pile of Swiss Chard and Herbs, Freshly Picked

Swiss Chard, Ready to be Chopped

I used the herbs for the stir-fry, which I made with some chicken breast marinated overnight in a cilantro-scallion sauce.  Clockwise from the top left, the herbs are:  Oregano, Sage, Tarragon, Parsley, with Basil in the center:

I found nice, simple recipe for sauteed Swiss Chard on-line, but substituted thinly sliced Shallots and some diced Scallions (leftover from the night before) for the red onions.  I also used a bit less butter, olive oil and cheese than the recipe calls for.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced (I used shallots and a few scallions)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

Directions 

Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Chicken-veggie stir fry and sauteed Swiss Chard

The Swiss Chard was a big hit with the Moth and I have to admit myself that it was very tasty.  I think chopping up the stems and center ribs of the Swiss Chard and cooking them first - before adding the leaves - is key.