Lemon Chicken and Pasta

I was craving pasta and broccoli, so I thought I'd play around with some ingredients and create a delicious, fresh dinner, all while pretending I worked as a chef in a restaurant. LOL. It was fun and the end result is phenomenal!

Here is what you need:

• 1 box garden spiral pasta (some will be for this dish and some will be for a pasta salad that I'll post about on another day)
• 3 medium heads broccoli, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 thick slices bacon, cut into strips
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 lemon, squeeze all juice
• 1 tbs lemon zest
• lemon pepper, to taste

Here is what you do:

1. Cook pasta in well salted water in large pot. 
2. When pasta is half way done, add olive oil and 3 tbs of butter to skillet. Start cooking bacon then add chopped onions. Season with a little lemon pepper.
3. Fill large bowl with ice water. Set next to stove.
4. Remove pasta from water with slotted spoon, but keep pasta water boiling. Add broccoli to pasta water. Boil broccoli for 1 or 2 minutes then remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water. 
5. Drain pasta water. Add 3/4 of pasta back into large pot. (Save remaining pasta for that dish that I'll tell you about later.)
6. When bacon and onions are almost done, add garlic, lemon zest, half of lemon juice, and broccoli. Season with a little lemon pepper. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add chicken, remaining tbs of butter, and remaining half of lemon juice to skillet. Season with a little lemon pepper. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add veggie and meat mixture to pasta. Stir well, making sure all pieces are lightly coated with sauce. 

Here are some hints for making your cook time less than 30 minutes:

1. On shopping day, precook chicken, shred it, and then portion it and place in freezer bags for later. Chop onion and store in tightly sealed container in the fridge. You can then use the onion as needed during the week. And finally, clean broccoli, pat it dry, cut large stem off, and place broccoli florets in sealed plastic bag.
2. Use a food chopper to dice onions instead of slicing and dicing it with a knife and cutting board.
3. Start boiling pasta water as you get the rest of your ingredients ready.

I took one bite of this lemon chicken creation and was in heaven! The pasta is lightly coated with the flavor-packed sauce. Then you get fresh and tasty bites of chicken, bacon, and broccoli with a hint of the caramelized onions. YUM!

Let me know if you try it!

PS ~ You may want to crack open your windows while you cook the bacon and caramelize the onion; otherwise, your clothes may smell like the dynamic duo. It's not a bad smell, mind you, but your friends may want to eat your clothes because it will smell like delicious food. hahaha.