Giada's Chicken in Lemon Cream and Penne

This recipe is incredibly easy and delicious! The lemon makes it really refreshing--we've been enjoying it this summer. I've used different types of pasta (most recently linguini) and all of them have worked really well! A great week-night meal!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb penne pasta (or substitute your favorite type of pasta or spaghetti)
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 4  boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1  teaspoon  herbes de provence
• 1  pinch salt, plus
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2  cups heavy cream
• 1  lemon, zest of
• 1  pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I usually just sprinkle dried parsley, still tasts great!)
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cubed chicken with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Pour off excess oil from pan.Drain. Add the chicken broth the pan and cook over medium-high heat, scraping up any bits with a wooden spoon. Add the cream, lemon zest, and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the pasta, chicken, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Toss to coat the pasta and chicken with the sauce and serve.