Chicken Linguine with Lemon Sauce
This is one of my kid’s FAVORITE meals.
I know I can’t go wrong in my house when I make Chicken Linguine with Lemon Sauce for dinner. In fact, I always try to double the recipe to have leftovers, but nope – my efforts are always in vain.
It’s kind of fun to hear you children say, “please mom, may I have some more” with their big eyes batting away at me. Those are the meals that I have to pat myself on the back for.
Ah yes, success in the kitchen!
It is such a brilliant summer pasta dish. I’ve been making this recipe now for several years and can’t even remember where I originally saw it, but I kept tweaking it until I came up with this version…and it seems to have worked.
I love it, my family loves it, and it’s simple to make and there are hardly ever any leftovers. It’s also one of those recipes that I’ve made so many times, that I don’t even have to refer to my kitchen journal anymore.
Lemons and Cilantro! My Favorites!
Anything with Lemon AND Cilantro, have to be amazing. I probably use them in about 60% of my meals, if not more. To me, they are the flavors of Summer.
When making this dish, I usually grill my chicken on my indoor grill – thank you George – and sometimes I even cook the meat the day before if I plan it well. I also use to roast my own red pepper which is very tasty, but I found that if I buy the jarred roasted red peppers (pimentos) then I not only save loads of time, but there’s also not as much of a mess to deal with.
If you have the time and desire to roast your pepper…
Just take cleaned whole red bell peppers (capsicum) and place under the broiler in the oven about 8-10 inches away from the heat. Let it char and then turn until it’s charred on all sides. Once the skin looks charred and kind of bubbly, remove from oven. Place in a plastic bag, slightly sealed for about 30 seconds. Then I would very carefully opened the bag, be careful of the steam, and with tongs, held the pepper and with my asbestos fingers, would peel off the charred skin. Place on a chopping board and carefully cut open, mind the hot juices that may escape. Clean out the seeds and julienne slice your pepper and set aside.
BUT since I used a jar of already roasted red peppers, I got to skip that bit, and quickly move on to the next step.
On another note, I always prefer to use Zucchini (Courgette) for my dish, but you may also substitute yellow squash, although to me it doesn’t seem to lend as much flavor. Feel free to use your local variety squashes and I would enjoy hearing your renditions of this dish.
Chicken Linguine with Lemon Sauce
A gorgeous summer pasta dish! Try it with yellow squash instead of zucchini, or shrimp in stead of chicken. However you prepare - Enjoy it!
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breast, skinless and boneless
- 2 Tbls. Olive Oil
- 2-3 Garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 medium Zucchini, sliced lengthwise @ 3 in. lengths
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice
- 8 oz Whipping Cream or Half and Half
- 2 - 3 jarred Roasted Red Pepper, sliced lengthwise
- 2 oz Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese, grated
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Fresh Cilantro
- 1 lb./16 oz dried Linguine (or Fettuccine)
- 1/2 cup leftover pasta water
Instructions
- Grill or pan grill over medium-high heat, your Chicken breast until just lightly golden and cooked through. Set aside. Once cooled slightly, slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- In a Large Pot, fill almost 3/4 full with water and a dash of salt, bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water has come to a boil, add your pasta and stir at the beginning to loosen or you will have one lovely clump. Follow package directions for time.
- Pasta is ready when it is al dente, or just under fully cooked.
- Drain Pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the Pasta water.
- In a large pan, add your oil and heat on medium. Add in your crushed garlic and heat through, don't let it burn.
- Add in your zucchini and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Turn Heat down to Medium Low.
- Slowly add in your cream, stir around to coat zucchini. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Continue to add in your lemon peel and juice. (Note: if it seems to start to curdle the cream only just slightly, keep stirring and it will become a silky cream again).
- Add the Roasted Red Peppers and your sliced Chicken, grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to coat and cook for another minute to heat through.
- Turn down the heat to simmer.
- Finally add in your drained pasta and reserved pasta water, stir to coat and heat through.
- To serve, top with chopped fresh cilantro. Enjoy.
- Note: Serves 4 generous or 6 moderate servings.
Stacey is a Southern girl with a taste for travel, thriving on the discovery of the world through food. After spending many years traveling and living overseas, she’s now back home in her beloved deep south enjoying life with her three little ones and loving the adventure. She’s a food stylist and food photographer, as well as, the creative behind Little Figgy Food, where she loves to inspire others to try new flavors and foodie techniques.
This stuff looks divine! I’m also a big lover of the lemon + cilantro combo myself, so I’m definitely pinning this so I can make it soon! I’m sure it makes a perfect dinner 🙂
Thank you so much and YES it is divine! It’s a flavor combo that seriously “hits the spot” 🙂 I hope you are able to enjoy making it soon and let me know how it turns out.
Visited your site and I think I MUST try your http://honeyandfigskitchen.blogspot.com.es/2013/08/brownie-frozen-yogurt-yogur-helado-de.html
I also wanted to say I love that you have your site in both English and Espanol! 🙂
P.S. I’ve also pinned your Brownie Frozen Yogurt!
A great favoritef! Yummy Yum, Yum!!