chicken and broccoli lemon pasta

I think it's about time for a recipe post!  I made this pasta a little while ago, and Austin and I both really enjoyed it.  It's healthy as can be and tastes great.  That's a win-win if I've ever heard one!

Chicken and Broccoli Lemon Pasta

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

salt & pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 lb of spaghetti (or whatever pasta you want)

1 TBS butter

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 head of broccoli, chopped up into little florets

2 lemons, one cut in half and the other sliced in wedges

1 1/2 TBS chopped parsley, plus more for garnish 

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and set aside.

2) Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high and add in the olive oil to get it hot.  Once the oil is ready, brown the chicken.  You're not trying to cook it through, just get some color on those bad boys.  It should take a few minutes per side.

3) Throw the browned chicken onto a sheet pan and stick it in the oven to let it finish cooking.  This should take about 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts.  Once the chicks are done, take them out and let them cool off for a little while (10 minutes or so) and then cube them up.

4) While all of that chicken stuff is happening, get going on your pasta.  Cook it according to package directions, drain, and then set it aside.

5) If you're feeling frisky, you can also start on the broccoli while the pasta is cooking and the chicken is in the oven.  If that's too much going on at once though, you can wait.  Either way, you'll want to use that chicken pan with all of the lovely brown chicken bits to heat up the butter at medium-high.  Once the butter is hot, add the garlic and stir it around for about 30 seconds.  Once the garlic is fragrant, throw in the broccoli.  Stir that around until it's tender and then squeeze in the juice of a lemon and add in the parsley.

6) Once the broccoli is ready, stir in the pasta, and then add in the chicken.  If the pasta looks too dry, you can add in some more olive oil and/or lemon juice.

7) Serve the pasta with chopped parsley on top and a lemon wedge.  Enjoy!