Creamy Lemon Chicken

Mmmm. We have a winner! Tonight we made Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken from Allrecipes. This doesn't mean I can cross out the lemon chicken on the bone from my list, but I don't usually cook with lemon much, so this is still a step in the right direction.

Kaiah helped me this time. She squeezed out the lemons for baking the chicken and she zested the lemon peel as well. I had no idea (because I've never done this...) how long it takes to get just 1 teaspoon of zest. That was a lot of work. But our fingers smelled soooo good!

We squeezed the lemon halves and squeezed cut up lemons for 2 different parts of the recipe. It probably would have been better to have just used the lemon juicer for both parts...

I realized as I was cutting the last bit of lemon that the directions called for cutting them in fourths. I cut mine in eighths, making it much more difficult to squeeze over the chicken...

While Kaiah was stirring the noodles,

and adding the cream, 

I looked up the carbs and calories for each item. For some reason I was having a hard time remembering the equation to get grams of carbs per serving. I figured it out. Did the equation for both the calories (I'm sort of counting mine) and the carbs (for Kaiah's Diabetes).

Now I'll have those calculations every time I make this recipe. Which I think I will! It would be a perfect meal to take to someone who just had a baby, surgery, etc. It was very filling and yummy!

I did make a few changes. We have a family of six so 4 servings would barely be enough. I added an extra chicken breast and put a few more noodles in. Lochlan had seconds, Cambria ate all of hers (which for her at dinner is actually pretty awesome), and the kids rated theirs at a 9 (K) and a 7 (M). I rated mine at an 8. We'll have to see how Cliff likes it when he gets home from work.

Next time I make this I will make a few changes. It definitely needs to be doubled and it could really use some steamed broccoli or some asparagus or something veggie-like to make it more healthy.

Here's the recipe: 

Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken

Rated: Submitted By: Lisa Ramos Photo By: maimai Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 4

"This deliciously different dish incorporates a classic combination of flavors: lemon, chicken, and garlic. "

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 lemon, quartered 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 (8 ounce) package rotelle pasta 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken in a lightly greased baking dish. Squeeze lemon over both sides of the chicken breasts and season both sides using 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink inside.
2.	Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
3.	Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into cooked pasta, along with the cream and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Calories in the whole dish: 2,937 (734 per serving oh dear! That's a lot when written that way!)
Carbohydrates in the whole dish: 195 (48g per serving)

Average rating: 8/10 (in our family)