Garlicky Chicken Pasta with Vegetables and Lemon-Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Sorry for the long title, but I wanted people to know what was in the dish. This one is savory and comforting and sprightly at the same time with fresh lemon zest and fresh parsley. My favorite part is when the lemon zest, parsley and breadcrumbs meet the hot pasta-it just smells so good! There are so many different ways you could go with this. Want it creamy? Toss in a few ounces of cream cheese and grated parm to the sauce. Want it vegetarian? Leave out the chicken and sub veggie broth for chicken broth.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1.25 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 5 thighs)

Pepper and garlic salt to taste

Pasta:

12 ounces long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, whatever)

Sauce:

¼ cup dry white wine

1 Tablespoon butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup baby spinach leaves

5 asparagus spears, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Breadcrumbs:

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Chicken: Heat oil on medium heat in a deep skillet. Open up the chicken thighs and sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt. Cook on medium about 5 minutes per side—you don’t want to crowd the pan, so you might want to do two batches. Check to make sure that the thighs are cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Sauce: Reduce the heat on the skillet used for the chicken to medium low. Add white wine and stir to scrape up any bits. Add 1 Tablespoon butter and minced garlic. Cook for just a minute until the garlic is fragrant but not burnt. Add in the chicken broth, spinach, asparagus and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook for about 10 minutes.

Pasta: Prepare pasta according to directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water and then drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for about 8 minutes until well combined. Add reserved pasta water if the pasta looks dry.

Breadcrumbs: In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave (usually about 2-3 minutes on 50% power-check at 2 minutes and add another minute if needed). You may want to cover the bowl with waxed paper to prevent splatters. Stir the breadcrumbs into the melted butter and then add the parmesan, parsley and lemon zest.

Assembly: Place the pasta on plates and then slice the chicken. Place slices of chicken over the pasta and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.