Lime Chicken Linguine W/Cilantro Cream Sauce & Roasted Zucch

~Leslie~'s Note:

My husband made this for dinner last night, I don't know where he got the recipe, but man....it was like eating in a 5 star restaurant! Don't let all the steps and ingredients scare you off, this recipe is for the entire meal! The flavour reminded me of being in Costa Rica :) Prep time is marinating time

• Total Time: 1 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

For the Chicken

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Pasta

• 1 (8 ounce) package linguine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

For the Zucchini

• 1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Whisk together 1/4 cup lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add the chicken breasts. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cilantro and garlic, cook and stir 1 minute. Pour in the wine, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons lime juice, and return to a simmer. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir in the cream and green onions; bring to a boil and remove from heat.
3. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
4. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
5. Drain well and transfer linguine to a large mixing bowl; add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, and the quartered cherry tomatoes; toss until the pasta is evenly coated in oil.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
7. Meanwhile, lie the zucchini on a baking sheet and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil with a pastry brush. Place zucchini on middle rack in the oven, and bake, turning every 5 minutes, until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Return Cilantro Cream sauce to the stovetop and re-heat.
9. Lie the zucchini pieces side by side on a serving platter; lie the chicken breasts on the zucchini; pour the cilantro cream sauce over the chicken. Serve with the pasta on the side.
10. If there is some extra sauce, toss it into the pasta -- it's delicious! I found I had pasta left over, so I just re-heated it for lunch the next day :).

Reviews

[adopt a greyhound]

Loved the sauce for the pasta and chicken. Had three baby zucchini and was wonderful with the meal. I only had FF half and half but would be much better with the cream.

[lazyme]

Great recipe. I used the first zucchini out of my garden this year. It was buried underneath the leaves and was large by the time that I caught it - so perfect for this recipe. I made one serving but used 1/2 zucchini. Did everything by the book except that I simmered the sauce a little longer to get it to thicken more. Thanks Leslie for a great recipe. Made for ZWT8 - Mexico/Tex Mex.

[Karen Elizabeth]

Yum, this was really fabulous, a treat! It looks like a lot of work, but not when you get going, quite straightforward. I love all the lime, and DH loves the coriander, a winner on every front!! Thanks Leslie, really good, made for ZWT 8