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 |
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Submitted By: Lisa Ramos Photo By: maimai
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"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)
