Lemon Grilled Chicken in Creamy Piccata Sauce

This recipe came right off the pages of Pinterest, and after reading the recipe, realized it's just a healthier, pasta version of Charlie's favorite chicken dish I make him, so I knew it would be a hit! I thought I blogged about his favorite Lemon Chicken, but now I can't seem to find it on the blog, so I guess I'll add it to the list of things to share.

This is a lemony, creamy pasta paired with marinated grilled chicken. It's light, flavorful, delicious and hard to mess up. The original recipe can be found here at Plain Chicken, and mine is below. Make sure you make this for dinner this summer! It's such a great dish that tastes much richer than it is!

You will need;




For the Chicken

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil (hearty drizzle)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• few leaves of fresh basil and oregano chiffonade (rolled and chopped) or 1 tsp each if using dried
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the Pasta;

• 2 cups dried penne pasta
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 5-6 leaves fresh basil chiffonade
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesano reggiano cheese

Marinate the chicken by combining the first 6 ingredients into a zip top bag. Add chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Grill over a medium high heat until done, about 8-10 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is grilling, fill large stock pot with water and salt generously. Bring to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Melt butter in a medium pan. Add lemon juice and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until garlic sweats and is fragrant.  Add half and half and bring to a gentle simmering boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 the cheese and stir until melted. Add remaining cheese, and basil and simmer until thickened. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Pour penne into sauce and stir to coat. Add pasta water to thin sauce if needed.

Serve with chicken and garnish with more cheese on top if desired.