Grilled Lemony Chicken with Spinach and Pasta

Grilled Lemony Chicken with Spinach and Pasta

My family RAVED over this dish. And they don’t “rave” very often about some of my experiments. They say “oh, that was good” but this time they were truly excited about the flavors and bright colors of this dish. It was another scorcher day when I made this, but I wanted something more substantial than a salad but also didn’t want hot potatoes or anything like that. I had just bought a bag of spinach the day before, and my husband had come home with several lemons that day. Both of them went faboulous with the chicken and pasta. I hope you think so too. Oh, and don’t be shy about adding the crushed red pepper flakes. I had seen several recipes that add crushed red pepper to spinach, and it added just the right amount of zestiness to balance out the lemon. Give it a try!

Lemon Chicken Marinade

1 pound boneless chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning (I would have added more but that’s all I had left in the container)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
Black pepper to taste

Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise, and pound to an even thickness with a mallet. Put the chicken in a quart Ziploc bag. Whisk the rest of the ingredients well and pour over the chicken. Marinate for at least an hour up to overnight.

Lemony Chicken with Spinach and Pasta

Lemon Marinated Chicken
Dried spaghetti noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 9 oz. bag fresh spinach
Juice of another 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter or substitute
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small chopped tomato
More black pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan

Lemon Spinach Tomato Sauce

Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Meanwhile, start cooking the the pasta according to package directions. Now put the chicken on the grill then immediately heat a large skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic, spinach and lemon juice. Stir until the spinach starts to wilt, then add the rest of the ingredients except the Parmesan. Turn the heat to medium low, and now go back out and flip the chicken over (this should be at the five to seven minute mark). Grill for another five to seven minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. The pasta should be ready by now. Drain, then divide among plates. Top with a serving of the spinach tomato sauce. Cut the chicken into thin slices and place on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese. Dig in!