Easy Lemon Chicken Penne

 

This was one of those quick pantry meals I pulled out of my you-know-what. Had 1 leftover chicken cutlet from the weekend, and the rest fell into place. You probably have all the ingredients too! Would be great with grilled chicken as well.

• 3/4 box of dried penne
• 1 chicken cutlet, battered and fried crisp, cut into strips
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic (I used 2 cubes of frozen mashed garlic from Dorot)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 big handful of baby spinach
  
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup white wine
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

For the chicken cutlet:

Butterfly cut one chicken breast and pound thin. Beat one egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 c bread crumbs, some salt, pepper, dried parsley, and parmasan cheese. Dip the chicken into the egg, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture.

In a large saucepan, start the water for your pasta. 

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet on med-high.  Add a couple turns around the pan of olive oil. When oil is hot, add the chicken, brown on both sides and set aside.

Shh. Yes, that is my wine glass! I love to cook with the same wine I'm drinking. 

Cook your pasta to package instructions, drain and set aside while you're cooking the sauce...

For the sauce:

Add the 3 TB of olive oil to the same pan you cooked the chicken in. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to pan and saute until fragrant. Add the wine and simmer for about a minute. Add the cooked pasta and the spinach. Toss until the spinach wilts. Turn heat off.

Remove pasta to a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon into the pasta and toss again. Slice the chicken into strips, and arrange atop the penne. Give the chicken a nice squeeze of lemon too. Before serving, top with Parmesan.

Very light and lemony! The crispy chicken really highlights the meal. Enjoy!