Lemon Linguine

I have started to see a trend in my cooking.....we love citrus. Lemon especially......Maybe its because it just gives food that extra pop or zing. We just had this dish a few days ago and all of the family really liked it, especially Mikiah.....she was slurping the noodles 1 by 1.....and of course she had seconds....Shawn and I both think this would be great with some grilled shrimp instead of chicken....but it was what I had.....Oh do we love pasta.....

Serves 4-6

1 lb of Linguine Noodles

3 T Lemon Olive Oil or reg Olive Oil

3-4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2 Lemons, Zested & Juiced

1-2 C Cooked Chicken Breast Strips (I used Frozen Grilled Strips)

2 C Heavy Cream

1 C Grated or Shredded Parmesan

1/2 C Flat Leaf Parsley, Finely Chopped

10-12 Basil Leaves, sliced thin

1 Lemon Sliced for Garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and then drop in the noodles, cook according to the package (about 8-9 min). After about 5 min of the noodles cooking use a glass measuring cup and pull out some of the pasta cooking water about a 1/4 of a cup. Drain Pasta when done.

Heat large deep skillet over low heat, add in olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add in chicken and cook for 5 min. Add in the 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water, lemon juice cook for 3-5 more minutes until chicken is hot through. Then stir in the cream and blend. Raise the heat a little bit and bring the sauce to a small bubble and reduce the cream. Add lemon zest and half of the cheese, half the basil and half the parsley, stir. Season with salt and pepper. Add Pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with the sauce for a few minutes allowing the pasta to soak up the sauce. Place all in pasta bowl and top with the rest of the cheese, parsley and basil. Add a slice or two of lemon to squeeze on right before eating, if you like.