Easy Lemon Chicken Pasta

I love this recipe because its quick, easy and cheap.  I like to plan it for those nights I don't want to put a lot of effort into dinner. But I always something that fills me up with great flavor.  The Neely's from Food Network really have this one figured out. These are very affordable ingredients some of which you might already have in your pantry.


Easy Lemon Chicken Pasta

1 pound dried penne
2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (You can use the Parmesan 'dust' but I recommend getting a cheap block of Parmesan and grating it up. It's worth the extra couple of bucks and it'll last through a few meals.)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain well.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.
Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

Give it a try you won't be disappointed.