Pampered Chef's Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken & Linguine from the Deep Covered Baker cookbook.
Ingredients:
1 lemon
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, melted
2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) 2% milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup (125 mL) prepared basil pesto
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 oz/125 g each)
1 tbsp (15 mL) Citrus & Basil Rub
12 oz (350 g) uncooked linguini pasta
2 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup (50 mL) thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
Directions:1.Zest lemon using Microplane® Zester to measure 2 tsp (10 mL). Combine butter and flour in Classic Batter Bowl; whisk until smooth. Add lemon zest, milk and garlic pressed with Garlic Press to butter mixture; whisk well. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 3-4 minutes or until thickened, stirring every 60 seconds. Add pesto; mix well.2.Season chicken with rub. Place chicken in Deep Covered Baker, overlapping as necessary. Pour sauce over chicken. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) in thickest part of chicken and centers are no longer pink. Carefully remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.3.Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm. Seed and dice tomatoes. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta; garnish with tomatoes and basil.Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per serving: U.S. Nutrients per serving: Calories 480, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Carbohydrate 50 g, Protein 34 g, Sodium 500 mg, Fiber 3 g
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 low-fat meat, 1 fat (3 carb)
Cook's Tips: If desired, store-bought lemon-pepper seasoning can be substituted for the Citrus & Basil Rub.
Rice or other types of pasta such as spaghetti can be substituted for the linguine, if desired.
My variations: I used 1% milk, jarred garlic, chicken tenderloins, lemon pepper seasoning, vine tomatoes, left off the dry basil (still pictured, just decided not to use since I didn't have fresh) & I used garden style fettuccine.
I knew this evening was going to be hectic so I needed a dinner that I could prepare ahead of time. Rocco had his first soccer game at 5:30 (The Eyeballs vs. The Little Giants), Roman's football practice at 6:00 & Dallon's soccer practice at 6:30, Nick coaches both soccer teams & we get home just after 4:00 from work. So at lunch I prepared the chicken all except for cooking it, then stored it in the fridge. I also prepared the pasta & Mom made a salad. That way all I had to do was cook the chicken & heat the pasta. Perfect! And it all actually worked out as planned.
Mix the melted butter & flour. I LOVE my batter bowls from Pampered Chef! Question: Am I the only one who keeps their flour in the freezer? I know I heard to do that somewhere years ago & have done it ever since. Keeps it fresh! First I put it in a Ziploc bag, then the freezer.
I don't have the PC Micro planer but I do have this cute little zester!
4 minutes, stirring every 60 seconds
In the meantime I prepared the chicken with the lemon pepper.
Heated & thickened pesto mixture
Cooking the pasta
Since I pre-made the pasta I added just enough EVOO to keep it from sticking while it waited the 4 hours on the stove for dinner. Worked perfectly!
Now, I'm home from work & it's time to cook this chicken!
Wa-La!
This was a quick & easy meal that everybody liked.
Thumbs up! Roman & Rocco couldn't be pictured because they were using their bad manners by coming to the table with no shirts on. Mom wasn't feeling well & skipped dinner.
This was a really good meal but it tasted very similar to another dish I make, Tuscan Chicken Simmer.
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