During the summer (well anytime of the year) I love an easy 1 pot dish. I didn’t think this dish would be a new favorite, but we actually really enjoyed it. We added in a little extra cajun seasoning to kick it up a little, and I would suggest not adding the cheese to stir in, instead just top each plate with it. The cheese seemed to clump up when I stirred it in. I also forgot the basil at the store with a cranky kid in tow you cut out what you can. We may not have added the extra seasoning if we had that in the dish.
One-Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta
(Adapted from No. 2 Pencil)
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon of kosher salt plus lots of freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup of water
1/2 pound of penne pasta (about two cups)
1 lemon, zested and juiced; juiced lemon should yield about 1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 lemon sliced for garnish
1 cup of freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
Season chicken breasts with one teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat olive oil over medium high and brown chicken breast.
Lower heat and add garlic to pan. Sauté garlic and chicken together about one minute.
Then add chicken broth, water and uncooked pasta to pan. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat down to low.
Cook covered on low for about fifteen minutes.
Remove cover and let simmer for about five more minutes until liquid is reduced by half.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, and parmesan cheese.
Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and garnish with lemon slices.
