Chicken Penne Primavera

Tee Lee's Note:

This one-dish meal is lemony, creamy, vegetable-y, and delicious. The amounts (and even types) of vegetables could be changed depending on your tastes. Just leave out the chicken to make this meal vegetarian.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups whole wheat penne, uncooked

Vegetables

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup baby carrots, halved
• 1 cup broccoli floret
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 lb mushroom, quartered
• 1/4 cup frozen sweet peas (or fresh)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Sauce

• 1 lemon, juice and zest of
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk or 1 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan, season chicken breasts with lemon-pepper seasoning and add chicken to pan.
3. Cook chicken 5 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear, and set cooked chicken aside, let cool and cut into slices.
4. In a large stockpot cook pasta according to directions on package.
5. Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to pan, along with asparagus, carrots and broccoli.
6. Stir in remaining lemon pepper and Italian seasonings, and cook about 4 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through but still slightly crisp.
7. Add mushrooms, peas and garlic, then remove from heat.
8. Add lemon juice and zest, cool 1-2 minutes (so milk won't curdle), then add wine, milk and cornstarch mixed with water.
9. Return to burner and heat to boiling for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
10. Remove from heat, add cheese, pasta and chicken, mix well and serve.

Reviews

[Chef #1152761]

Other reviewers have said that the lemon is a little much, but my family absolutely loved it! Don't change a thing!

[Chef #368882]

This was very tasty! We cut back on some of the lemon, but other than that it was really good!

[Rifka]

It was very good. I didn't have some of the veggies (asparagus and peas) so I left then out and added some onions. Also I purposefully left out the lemon in the sauce so it wasn't as lemony. A very good recipe overall.