lemon chicken pasta

Last week, my experiences in the kitchen were basically all flops (except those peanut butter and chip cookies, of course).  I scalded my left hand in boiling liquid, spilled barbecue all over the floor, and ruined the lid to one of my most-used dishes.  But worse than all of that, I had a series of bum recipes!  Everything was edible...even good...but it wasn't great.  Definitely not worth telling you about.

Discouraged by my lack of success, I turned to a very inspirational TV show...Everybody Loves Raymond.

"What?" you may be thinking.  Everybody Loves Raymond inspirational?  Yep, it is!

You see, Everybody Loves Raymond is about cooking.  Now, I know, I know, the storyline revolves around a momma's boy husband whose strange family and headstrong wife can't seem to get along.  But, underlying all of their hilarious drama, there's always food.

Raymond's mother, Marie, is a fantastic cook.  Raymond's wife, Debra, is a terrible cook.  And, at least once an episode, the laughing viewer is reminded of these two facts.

Last week, I really felt like Debra.  I tried, and I tried, and nothing turned out right.  But then I remembered that there's at least one meal that Debra can cook (so she cooks it all the time)...lemon chicken.  And if Debra can do it, I can do it!

I decided to create a lemon chicken pasta.  It's healthy, it's filling, and it's got so many flavorful spices added that you won't know what hit you!

Place 4 chicken breasts in a baking dish (please ignore the fact that my pictures only show 3...it's all I had).  Lightly drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of one lemon.

In a small bowl, mix together one teaspoon each of Cajun seasoning (or seasoned salt), freshly ground pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme, and rosemary.  Add to that 1/2 teaspoon of sage.

Pour those seasonings straight on top of the chicken breasts - just sprinkle them on.

Cook your chicken in the oven for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until done.

Meanwhile, saute 1 clove of garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 1 minute.  Then, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. 

Mix this all together, and then throw in your cooked pasta, tossing to coat.

Once your chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board and cut into strips.

Place pasta in a bowl, arrange chicken over the top, and garnish with slices from remaining lemon.  Ta da!!!

Lemon Chicken Pasta
2 lemons, divided
4 chicken breasts
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 t. each Cajun seasoning (or seasoned salt), freshly ground black pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme, and rosemary
1/2 t. sage
16 oz. package pasta, cooked
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. pepper

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish; drizzle with 1 T. olive oil and juice from one lemon.  In a small bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, black pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage; pour over chicken breasts.  Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, saute garlic in 1 T. olive oil for 1 minute.  Add sugar, pepper, and juice from half of a lemon; mix.  Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.

To serve, cut chicken breasts into thin strips and arrange over pasta.  Garnish with slices from the remaining lemon half.  Makes 8 servings.

Gluten-free variation: use gluten-free pasta.

Nutrition: 254 cal, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 68mg cholesterol, 368mg sodium, 19g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 31g protein, 1% vit. A, 10% vit. C, 3% calcium, 11% iron.


This recipe is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday , Tasty Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table