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    Bistro Style Penne and Lemon Chicken

    Sep 23, 2016 · 42 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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

    Units 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
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 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
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 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.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    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.

    Don’t forget to grab your special Cartwheel offer here before is expires 10/29!

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    Enjoy with Love!

    0

    Pasta & Noodles, Poultry

    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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