Lemon Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Peppery Arugula
This lemon pasta recipe with grilled chicken and peppery arugula is bright, fresh, and ready in minutes! It's a delicious, satisfying weeknight dinner.
Print
Pin This Recipe
Servings: 4
Save This Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breast
- 1 lb. spaghetti pasta
- 2 cups reserved pasta water you may not have to use all of the water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- zest of one medium lemon
- juice of one medium lemon
- ¾ cups parmesan reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 3-4 cups fresh arugula
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pound and flatten chicken: Cover a cutting board with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Place chicken breast on the parchment paper or plastic wrap and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a mallet or heavy frying pan pound the chicken breast using short strokes starting with the thickest part of the breast working your way toward the edge. Flip the breast and repeat. Continue pounding until the chicken breast is ½ to ¼ inch thick. Remove the top layer of the parchment or plastic wrap and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken, cover and set aside.
- Grill the chicken: Heat a grill pan to high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-high and brush a bit of oil on the pan and make sure the entire pan is coated with oil. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side without moving, until the undersides develop dark grill marks. Flip the chicken breasts using a pair of tongs or a fork and cook the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan, wrap in foil and set aside in a warm oven
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions, reducing the cooking time by 2 minutes to assure that the pasta is al dente before adding to the sauce.
- Prepare the sauce: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When the butter is all melted, add the shallots and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, when the butter has melted, slowly pour in the cream, whisking until the sauce emulsifies, about 2 ½ minutes. Add the lemon zest to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Toss pasta in the sauce: Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Add the pasta, lemon juice and 1 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, stirring to combine and coat the pasta. Sprinkle the cheese into the pasta and stir as it melts and coats the pasta. If pasta is too dry add a bit of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
- Slice chicken and chop arugula: Remove the chicken from the warm oven and slice. Rough chop the arugula.
- Plate and Serve: Transfer pasta from the skillet to serving bowls and add slices of the grilled chicken and chopped arugula to the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
This pasta should be served soon after it’s made. Some crusty bread pairs well with this pasta dish.
Notes
This pasta should be served soon after it’s made. Some crusty bread pairs well with this pasta dish.
Did you make this recipe?Let us know! Please rate and share your comments, recipe adaptions, suggestions and any questions!
