Hi Everyone,
It’s been a while since I have made a normal dinner. It seems I have been having bigger lunches and by the time dinner comes, I’m not hungry. My poor Husband! He’s been eating cheese & crackers or Subway for dinner. So this past weekend, I decided to my a nice whole some pasta dish that is simply perfect to make for a weeknight meal. It’s my Pappardelle Pasta with Lemon Chicken. It is so good and so easy. Lots of flavor and not a lot of ingredients.
I got the idea for this dish when I was shopping at Trader Joe’s. They had Lemon flavored Pappardelle pasta and I thought ohhhh, this would be so good with a little bit of chicken, basil and Parmesan cheese. I ran back to the produce aisle to pick up my basil and cheese. I couldn’t wait to make this recipe. It’s very light, yet filling. The chicken has a wonderful lemon flavor and with the addition of the basil, it adds a nice savory, peppery flavor. I had to add the cheese to it to kick the flavors up a notch. If you’re a fan of lemon chicken, this is the dish for you.
When I was cooking the pasta, I started to work on the chicken. I just cooked it in a pan with some olive oil, added lemon juice and lemon zest. Within 10 minutes it was done and so was the pasta. I added some olive oil to the pasta, than I topped it with the chicken, cheese and basil. It’s elegant looking to me and I think restaurant quality.
- 4 cups Pappardelle pasta (I used Trader Joe's Lemon Flavor)
- 1½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 12 oz chicken breast, skinless, boneless
- ¼ tsp. ground pepper
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 lemon,juiced and zested
- 5 leaves, basil, diced thin
- 4 tsp. Parmesan cheese
- Cook Pasta according to package. Once the pasta is done, drain the water and carefully mix with ½ tablespoon olive oil.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet; add 1 tablespoon olive oil and chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper Cook until lightly golden on one side, flip, cook until lightly golden on the other side; about 5-6 minutes per side. (Note: you can also cut the chicken in chunks and cook it or serve it on the plate whole. I cooked it whole and than sliced it). Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and let it cook for about 2 minutes more.
- Divide pasta between 4 plates. Evenly add the chicken between each plate. Top each plate with a teaspoon of Parmesan Cheese and sprinkle with basil.
Have a super fab week!
Toodles,
Jennifer
