chicken with lemon basil pasta

For the past month I have been nonstop on Pinterest... hence why these next few recipes will all be from this wonderfully seductive site.  Again, I have adapted it a bit to cut some calories here and there and to also make it a more sensible portion for two people.  I have a bad habit of not eating left overs.  Chicken is never right when reheated.

Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Pasta Ingredients

½ pound whole wheat penne pasta (or Barilla Plus)

¼ stick of unsalted butter

3 whole lemons, juiced

3/4 cup regular cream

1/4 cup half and half

1 ½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Chicken Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless lean chicken breasts

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 whole lemons, juiced (keep juiced lemon remains!)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon minced garlic  

Rosemary, to taste

Salt, to taste

Directions

Marinate your chicken breasts with a mixture of the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and salt for about an hour or two (or more if you remember to do this before you start cooking).  Refrigerate while marinating.

Unfortunately, we have no way of having a grill at our place, so I always have to do things in a pan because I'm too impatient to broil things.  Whatever.  Once your chicken is ready to cook, go ahead and dump the chicken and the marinade into a pan over med-high heat.  Cover and cook until all pink on the outside has disappeared.  When this happens we can add some goodies like the remains of the lemons you juiced earlier for the marinade and some rosemary.  I  like rosemary on everything so I added a few dashes here and there.  This is not a must, but it is enjoyable if you like rosemary.

Continue to cook your chicken until all traces of pink, inside and out, have gone far, far away.  I like to give each side about 6-7 minutes on each side.  Depending on how high the heat is, could be more, could be less.  I like to cover my chicken while I'm cooking it because I feel like it doesn't get as dry... no one likes dry chicken.  Once the chicken is cooked, set aside, but keep warm.

Now we finally cook the pasta!  Reserve about ½ cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

(Thank you, Pioneer Woman for the following directions) In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons.  Whisk together.  Add the minced garlic and heat for about a minute (oh my goodness, the aroma from this mixture once the garlic is added is pure bliss).  Pour in the cream and half and half.  Whisk until heated.  Dump in cheese and whisk until melted.  Add salt and pepper.  Check the consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.  Remove from heat and add in the pasta.  And last, but not least, mix in your chopped basil to the pasta and sauce.

Finally, we pour our pasta mixture into a large serving bowl.  I just put some pasta on each plate and added a chicken breast to serve...  And then you stuff.