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Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken

Sep 23, 2016 · 42 Comments

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyPastaTime #CollectiveBias

Classic Barilla® pasta is given a bistro-style makeover with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon chicken.

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

There’s a pair of adages about craftsmen and chefs, and they run roughly that “The craftsman’s house is the last to be repaired,” while a lesser known version runs that “The chef often dines upon leftovers.”

Despite my schedule being full largely of food related items, I’ve found that the meals I enjoy the most are the ones that allow me to take the proverbial ‘breath’ – a meal that is as much for my ‘soul’ as it is for my palette. In the movie Burnt, one of the scenes I related to the most was the ‘family style’ meal that the chefs put together for themselves at the end of a long day spent cooking for other people – a moment to recharge, unwind, and enjoy something plainly delicious.

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

For such meals, I often find myself drawing inspiration from the family meals of my youth, and of course from the range of old classics that withstand the withering caress of time. These don’t necessarily need to be ‘simple’ meals, or ‘easy’ to put together – sometimes just the opposite, in fact. Instead, sometimes the process of cooking for myself, and my ‘crew,’ is a form of relaxation in itself.

For example, last week we were rushing to put a post together, this was on the heels of doing the same the previous night. When the evening came, I found that I really just wanted to sit down with an LTG-version of ‘comfort food.’ One of the essentials I keep on hand for precisely this sort of meal is Barilla®

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

Now, what do I consider comfort food? Let’s start with my penchant for sun dried tomatoes. The ever mysterious ‘they’ say that everything is better with sunshine, and I find that there are few cases of that being truer than with tomatoes that have absorbed a copious amount of Sol’s life giving rays. Garlic, of course, since I’ve found precious few dishes worth eating without it. Parmesan cheese, olive, and lemon juice, must make an appearance, of course, since those are key’s to my favored flavor profile.

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

Thus, to start things off, I prepared the Classic Barilla® Classic Blue Box as directed. Then I prepared a marinade of fresh lemon juice, garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. To this, in a large bowl, I added fresh baby spinach, and then set the cooked pasta over the spinach as shown below.

This, however, was not yet comforting enough. I sliced a pound of chicken breast thinly, and marinated that in fresh lemon juice, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil before grilling them on my griddle as shown below. Once I had added that to the pasta, my weeknight ‘comfort food’ was ready to melt away the stress of a long day.

Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #adLiving the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #adLiving the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

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Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken

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  • Author: Living the Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4-5 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. of your favorite Barilla pasta – prepared as directed
  • 3 cups of fresh baby spinach

For the Lemon Parmesan Dressing:

  • 2 – 3 cloves of garlic – grated
  • 5 – 6 sun-dried tomatoes – chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tbs. of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 – 4 tbs. olive oil

For the Chicken Breast:

  • 1 lb. of thin sliced chicken breast

For the Lemon Parmesan Marinade:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic grated
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 – 4 tbs. olive oil

Instructions

For Spinach, Pasta & Lemon Parmesan Dressing:

  1. Prepare the Lemon Parmesan Dressing in a large bowl. Add the baby spinach leaves and lift the pasta out of the water on to the spinach leaves and toss.

Chicken & Lemon Parmesan Marinade:

  1. Prepare the marinade and add the chicken breast.
  2. Heat a large griddle and brush with olive oil. Place the marinated chicken breast on the griddle and let cook for 2 – 3 minutes on one side before turning over and finish cooking on the other side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. The juices should be clear and the internal temp should be 170 degrees F.
  3. Serve the grilled chicken over the prepared pasta and spinach.

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Living the Gourmet: Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken | #FamilyPastaTime #ad

What are some of your favorite recipes for when you need to unwind? We would absolutely love to hear from you.

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Pasta & Noodles, Poultry barilla, chicken, comfort food, healthy, italian, pasta, penne, recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    23/09/2016 at 7:40 am

    That looks like a perfect weekday meal!

    Reply
  2. Summer says

    23/09/2016 at 10:07 am

    This looks very attractive and delicious ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

    Reply
  3. marye says

    23/09/2016 at 11:54 am

    This looks so amazing, I love all of the flavors! Sun dried tomatoes are the best!

    Reply
  4. cheri says

    23/09/2016 at 2:15 pm

    What a wonderful meal you created for you and your family, looks delicious!

    Reply
  5. Heather Kinnaird says

    23/09/2016 at 2:33 pm

    this is absolutely the kind of meal I want to sit down to after a hectic day

    Reply
  6. All That I'm Eating says

    23/09/2016 at 3:10 pm

    This looks delicious and it sounds great too. I’d love this for my dinner tonight.

    Reply
  7. Liz says

    23/09/2016 at 4:35 pm

    This gorgeous meal would sure make my family happy!! It sounds fabulous!!!

    Reply
  8. Velva-Tomatoes on the Vine says

    23/09/2016 at 11:40 pm

    Another beautiful dish. Hope you are doing well Catherine.

    Velva

    Reply
  9. Velva-Tomatoes on the Vine says

    23/09/2016 at 11:41 pm

    Another beautiful dish. Hope all is well Catherine.

    Reply
  10. Big Daddy Dave says

    24/09/2016 at 12:47 am

    Catherine, That penne pasta with lemon chicken entree looks absolutely terrific! Love all the ingredients too… The question I have is “Do I have to share that platter of goodness?” Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

    Reply
  11. Cynthia/What A Girl Eats says

    24/09/2016 at 1:32 am

    This sounds just delicious! I love all the flavors!

    Reply
  12. Chiara says

    24/09/2016 at 6:03 am

    a perfect meal to share with friends, dear Catherine have a peaceful weekend, a warm hug

    Reply
  13. Pam says

    25/09/2016 at 10:43 pm

    This is one great meal that mu family would love! Thanks Catherine! Hugs

    Reply
  14. Emily says

    26/09/2016 at 4:45 pm

    This is a great way to have chicken feel fresh with the lemon. Love it!

    Reply
  15. Melanie says

    26/09/2016 at 6:00 pm

    Definitely making this for dinner soon!

    Reply
  16. Jolina says

    26/09/2016 at 6:07 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious. Comfort food indeed. And yes, everything is better with sunshine 🙂

    Reply
  17. kallee says

    26/09/2016 at 11:14 pm

    I would love to serve this at my house. It looks delicious

    Reply
  18. [email protected] says

    27/09/2016 at 2:03 am

    Catherine, this is a beautiful dish!

    Reply
  19. Melynda Brown says

    27/09/2016 at 2:12 am

    This looks delicious!

    Reply
  20. Michelle De La Cerda says

    27/09/2016 at 2:26 am

    Yum! What a delicious meal. Super filling.

    Reply
  21. Erin @ Stay says

    27/09/2016 at 2:55 am

    Your photos are so beautiful! I love penne, love lemon, and love spinach so this looks awesome!

    Reply
  22. Sandra Shaffer says

    27/09/2016 at 3:37 am

    Penne is one of my favorite pastas to eat. It’s so hearty and filling! Love this tasty lemon chicken dish. This is a dish I know my family will love!

    Reply
  23. Stephanie Huston says

    27/09/2016 at 10:54 am

    I can’t wait to try this for lunch with the kids. I may even get them to eat spinach this way!

    Reply
  24. Andea says

    27/09/2016 at 2:56 pm

    This looks totally amazing!!

    Reply
  25. Lori Vachon says

    27/09/2016 at 3:01 pm

    This looks like the type of meal my family would really enjoy! Lemon and chicken are a fantastic combination!

    Reply
  26. Liz Mays says

    27/09/2016 at 7:40 pm

    I’m in LOVE with sundried tomatoes. I’m SO glad you put those in this recipe. The meal sounds incredible!

    Reply
  27. Joyce, Kitchen Flavours says

    28/09/2016 at 1:23 pm

    That sure looks delicious!

    Reply
  28. allie says

    28/09/2016 at 7:43 pm

    Hi Catherine – SUCH a gorgeous meal. I know exactly how you feel at the end of a long day – you want healthy and comfort food. And this meal is definitely both! The presentation is just beautiful with the fresh sliced lemons. I’d love this Penne Pasta & Lemon Chicken with a glass of white wine. Cheers! XO

    Reply
  29. Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery says

    30/09/2016 at 7:20 pm

    I will admit that we are not big pasta eaters, but this looks gorgeous! Beautiful photography.

    Reply
  30. Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says

    30/09/2016 at 7:22 pm

    I love the combination of lemon in pasta! No need for any other cream, etc…just a great lemon olive oil based sauce!

    Reply
  31. Kristine says

    30/09/2016 at 7:35 pm

    Oh this chicken looks delicious! I saved this recipe for the future!

    Reply
  32. Mary says

    30/09/2016 at 7:48 pm

    Ha! I’ve heard that lots of restaurant chefs mostly eat cold cereal! This looks like a lovely doable weeknight meal!

    Reply
  33. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says

    30/09/2016 at 7:49 pm

    These photos are Gorgeous!!! I love easy-weeknight meals that are so flavorful and fast!!

    Reply
  34. Kristen Chidsey says

    04/11/2016 at 12:18 pm

    Catherine, You stepped it up with this dish–it looks absolutely incredible and I love how easy it comes together.

    Reply
  35. lisa @panningtheglobe says

    04/11/2016 at 10:05 pm

    What a gorgeous tempting meal! I’m inspired. Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
  36. Taylor Kiser says

    05/11/2016 at 3:09 am

    This looks so delicious! Love easy and flavorful dinners like this one!

    Reply
  37. Kathie says

    06/11/2016 at 2:20 am

    Looks yummy! I do versions of this at least once a month because I agree…my fave flavor profile and I always look forward to it. So good!

    Reply
  38. David @ CookingChat says

    07/11/2016 at 2:12 am

    what a delicious plate of pasta, so nicely presented!

    Reply
  39. David T Hill says

    08/11/2016 at 6:41 pm

    Look’s great! One question: How long should you marinade the chicken?

    Reply
    • Living the Gourmet says

      10/11/2016 at 6:19 am

      Dear David, You have marinade the chicken for a few hours or even overnight if you like. I would leave it to marinade for at least two hours first before cooking. Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy!

      Reply
  40. Linda Plopper says

    09/12/2016 at 2:26 pm

    Made this last night, on a cold winter evening. It’s lovely and diverse. I could see this as a summer or winter dish, as it would be simple enough to serve this chilled. I replaced pasta for gluten free pasta, forgot I didn’t have any sun-dried tomatoes so replaced it with a sun-dried tomato PESTO I had on hand, minimized the parmesan by omitting it from the prep, adding only a mini amount between the pasta and the chicken breast and finally, instead of olive oil used Meyer Lemon flavored olive oil. It was DELISH. I am already considering adding some artichokes, fresh mushrooms, perhaps some black olives or even capers just to offer it assorted ways, but it is perfect as is. The spinach, the dressing, it is all a wonderful marriage and will be continued in our rotation.

    Reply
    • Living the Gourmet says

      09/12/2016 at 4:42 pm

      Dear Linda, Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so pleased to hear you tried and enjoyed my Bistro Penne & Chicken. I love your ideas for variations! There are many ways to dress this dish up and enjoy it. Your comment has made my day! Thank you for visiting…have a wonderful weekend!

      Reply

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