Lemon garlic pasta with chicken & peas

This is totally not something we would normally make, but it ended up being very good! This would easily go well as side dish (without the chicken) with a shrimp, lobster and crab dinner,  if you’re into that! 
The lemon is such a bright flavor but it was not over powering.

Ingredients

1 pound pasta (any kind will do)

1 small bag frozen peas (put as much or as little as you want in the dish)

2 chicken breasts

8 tablespoon unsalted butter

7 tablespoon good olive oil

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 large shallot, chopped finely

½ teaspoon black pepper

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

zest of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons depending on size)

⅛-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (as mush or as little as you prefer)

Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. First make the sauce - Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium-low heat.
2. Next add the garlic and shallot and sauté gently for 2 minutes. Careful to not burn the garlic.
3. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté gently over low-heat for 5 more minutes. The last few minutes of cooking, add the peas and let them heat through. The sauce should just simmer, not boil. Careful to not burn the garlic.
4. While the sauce simmers make the chicken - Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook on both sides for 4-5 minutes. Check for doneness. Turn heat down if they need a little longer to cook through. Once done, remove chicken and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing them.
5. Finally, add the pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook al dente according to package directions. Before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
6. Pour pasta back into the large pot you boiled it in. Add the sauce, sliced cooked chicken, parsley and handful of Parmesan cheese. Stir and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Even lemon juice if you want more. If the pasta seems dry to you, add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and stir to loosen it up.
7. Continue adding pasta water to your liking. Serve pasta with Parmesan cheese and a lemon slice.

TUPPS TIDBITS:   MORE SAUCE! I would add more pasta water next time. 

 

Very yummy, would definitely make this again.  KEEPER recipe at our house!