Recipes

Lemon Garlic Spaghetti with Grilled Chicken

In Italy, a first course is often pasta, followed by a second course centered on meat or poultry. In this recipe, we meld two courses into one: a tangy, creamy lemon-garlic spaghetti and a breast of grilled chicken. Just add a veggie like steamed broccoli or roasted asparagus for a complete meal.

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken

4 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded even
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 large lemon (about 4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Lemon Garlic Spaghetti

16 oz dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
zest of 1 large lemon (about 4 teaspoons)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

For the chicken: Pat the chicken breasts dry, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and the pound the thicker part gently with a meat mallet or a 15oz can to an even thickness. The chicken will cook better if an even thickness.
In a resealable plastic bag, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, creamy garlic sauce, salt, pepper and give the bag a couple squishes to combine. Add the chicken making sure each piece is fully coated with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat a grill or a stovetop grill pan to medium high heat. Place chicken on the grill for 5-7 minutes until golden brown with nice grill marks. Turn and grill until cooked through, about another 4-6 minutes depending upon chicken thickness and grill heat. Discard extra marinade.
Remove the chicken from the grill, cover with foil and set aside while you cook the pasta.
For the pasta: bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
In a large, shallow skillet over medium-low, heat the olive oil and butter until sizzling. Add the garlic sauce and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat.
Add the drained, cooked pasta and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water; toss to coat. Return the heat to low, stir until heated through, adding more pasta water if it seems too dry.
Turn off the heat, stir in lemon zest and juice, parsley, half the parmesan and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed; add more pasta water if too dry.
Divide the pasta between 4 serving plates. Slice the chicken breasts on the diagonal and place on top of the pasta. Garnish with the remaining parmesan, a bit of parsley and a lemon wedge. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Tips

Want to mix it up? Instead of chicken, marinate and grill some shrimp or a nice piece of firm white fish such as swordfish, sea bass or halibut.
Instead of spaghetti, use Armanino Cheese Tortellini or Ravioli.
To stretch the chicken or if your chicken breasts are particularly large, butterfly them which is simply cutting them in half horizontally. Place your hand flat on the chicken breast and press down firmly. Starting at the fatter end, holding your sharp knife level and perpendicular to the cutting board, cut the chicken breast in half through the middle for 2 even cutlets. They’ll go a little farther and will cook much more quickly.