Peggy Lampman's Monday dinnerFeed: Lemon-Basil Chicken with Goat Cheese & Papparadelle

Lemon-Basil Chicken with Goat Cheese and Paparadelle

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.

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