Chicken with Lemon-Leek Linguine

As I sit here and sip some white wine, and watch a cooking show on BBC America, I decided to blog my latest recipe I made last night for dinner. This was very simple, and again from Cooking Light Magazine October 2010 issue. They promised quick and healthy meals for weeknights that are still yummy. I've made quite a few of the meals so far and have not been disappointed.

I usually like a more visually prominent sauce on my pasta but was pleasantly surprised at the flavor still packed in this simple sauce. Try it!

6 oz uncooked linguine
4 (6 oz skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used pre-chopped garlic, I usually don't but this worked well in a time crunch)
1 leek (or 2 depending on size) thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups or so)
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.

Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with some of the salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess.

(Note, I didn't pound the chicken thin. I sliced mine in half length wise and they were automatically thin just by doing that. In the end, they were almost 1/2" - 3/4" inch thick. Just depends on your preference but the cooking time will vary depending on thickness. Thinner is a bit better because then the chicken will cook quicker and not be as dry. The longer you cook it the more risk of dry chicken)

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from heat and keep warm. Try not to move the chicken too much so that it is able to get a "crust" from the flour coating.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium high heat. (same skillet) Add garlic, leek and remaining salt, saute for 4 minutes or so. Add broth and juice, cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in last tablespoon of butter. Add pasta to leek mixture and toss to combine and coat. Serve chicken on top. Sprinkle with parsley.

**Note, for the leeks, if you have never cooked with them before. ......
They look like this:


The edible portion of a leek is the white and light green stem. Once it goes darker green and starts to go into "leaves" then that is no longer the usual edible portion.

These are notoriously dirty, so the trick is to first cut off the ends that you don't use, then slice the stem in half lengthwise, then place the flat side down and slice thin. The leek will peel apart in layers so they should look like little moon shaped pieces.





Once you have them sliced, place them in a big bowl filled with water. Keep them soaking for a few minutes. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl and when you're ready to use the leeks, just scoop them off the top of the water (they float) with a slotted spoon.

Also, I made a double batch of the sauce to pour over the pasta, just to be sure it was moist enough. I thought that was a good idea, you might want to try it too.

Hope you enjoy!