Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Here's another recipe from Pioneer Woman that I decided to try out. I am a sucker for pasta dishes and the lemon & basil idea intrigued me.  I pretty much followed the recipe, although I believe I was a bit short on the basil and I, of course, threw in extra cream. It was fairly quick and easy and ended up being flavorful and different. I especially think this would appeal to people who have a particular affinity for all things lemon. Very fresh-tasting with a bit of a tang. 

For the chicken breasts, I followed PW's advice for the marinade:

Olive oil
Juice of four lemons

Dijon

A tiny bit of honey

A dash of salt

Mine marinaded for about 4 hours. Grill them. Set them aside and keep them warm. (Oh and maybe don't overgrill them and completely dry them out like I did.)

 

Ingredients:

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced

1 pound Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente

½ sticks Butter

3 whole Lemons, Juiced

¾ cups Heavy Cream

¼ cups Half-and-half

1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Instructions:

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and most of basil and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!