This recipe turned out pretty tasty considering it was thrown together at the last minute, mostly from odds and ends purchased at Trader Joe's last week. I enjoy keeping their pre-packs of frozen chicken tenders at the ready for quick cooking; the only advance planning involved is pulling them from the freezer to thaw.

Fresh basil is prolific in my garden now. I use it with abandonment, tearing it into large pieces, like leaf lettuce, and tossing it into salads and pasta dishes. The vinaigrette does double-duty in this recipe, serving as a marinade for the chicken and seasoning for the pasta.

Papparadelle is a very broad fettuccine; I purchased a lemon papparadelle from Trader Joe's, which has a pleasing yellow color. Papparadelle, according to Wikipedia, is derived from the verb "pappare," which means to gobble up. We needed no further encouragement!

Yield: 3-4 servings Cost: apx. $9.50 Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 12 (apx. 1 1/4#) chicken tenders 8 ounces papparadelle pasta 1/2 cup chopped basil 3-4 ounces goat cheese

Directions

1. Make a vinaigrette by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Spoon 2 tablespoons over chicken tenders and marinate 30-60 minutes. Reserve remaining vinaigrette. 2. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and boil papparadelle according to package instructions. 3. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Grill chicken 5-8 minutes per side or until just cooked through. 4. Toss cooked pasta with basil, goat cheese and remaining vinaigrette. Place chicken over pasta and serve.