Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

I discovered this recipe about a year ago from My Kitchen Cafe. I made it for a dinner with my parents and I immediately fell in love. The lemon gives the entire dish a very light and fresh flavor that mixes perfectly with the cream sauce. This is a simple but elegant dish that is great for dinner parties or for a regular family meal. This dish is very versatile and can be thrown together in under 30 minutes. But if you have a little extra time, I would recommend marinating the chicken for a few hours before cooking the pasta to give it that extra kick of garlic and lemon flavor.

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

• Juice of one lemon, approximately 3 Tbsp.
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 pound chicken breasts

Pasta:

• 4 cans chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 (16 oz.) package rigatoni pasta
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Chicken Marinade: combine all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and marinate for 5-6 hours or overnight. If short on time, dice chicken and throw all ingredients into a large skillet. Cook chicken in lemon garlic sauce until cooked through.

Pasta: In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring over low heat, for 5 minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is heated through.