Chicken Pasta Primavera

5 from 1 vote

Juicy, browned chicken breast, on a bed of pasta with fresh, Spring vegetables tossed in lemon and Parmesan cheese with cracked black pepper.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken pasta primavera, pasta primavera

Servings: servings

Calories: 244kcal

Author: Erin

Cost: $8

1 lb pasta linguine, penne, tagliatelle, or other pasta shape of choice (or use gluten free pasta for gluten free dish) (cooked 2 minutes short of al dente, and 1 cup starchy cooking water reserved)
3 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts thawed, patted dry with paper towels
4 cloves garlic minced
1 lb asparagus woody ends trimmed, cut into 1 inch sticks
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half length wise
2 large carrots peeled, and sliced thinly into ribbons using peeler
1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
1 lemon juice of
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated, plus more for garnish
salt and coarse black pepper to taste

Bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta until 2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining the pasta and set aside.
Pat thawed chicken breast dry with paper towels; salt and pepper both sides. In a large skillet, on medium high heat, add butter or olive oil (3 tbsp.), and cook chicken breast on both sides until browned and cooked through (160 degrees F). Remove cooked chicken from the pan, and set onto a plate. Wait 5-10 minutes before slicing chicken into thin strips.
In the same pan, on medium heat, and 4 cloves of minced garlic; and chopped asparagus (1 pound); sauté for4 minutes until tender.
Add remaining cherry tomatoes (halved), carrot ribbons (two whole), peas (1 cup) and sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add cooked pasta, and juice of a lemon, ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and black pepper (to taste) and toss to coat. If it's sticky, add a splash of the starchy water to loosen the pasta up and toss again. Salt to taste.
Top the pasta with the sliced chicken breast.
Serve with extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese, coarse black pepper, and fresh lemon wedge.

It's not advised to use lemon juice from concentrate in this dish.
Shredding the Parmesan off the block rather than pre-shredded in the bag will melt easier and have better texture.
Coarse black pepper gives a nice texture, but fine pepper is ok too
It may not be necessary to salt, between the salted pasta water, the butter, and the cheese so be sure to taste before adding additional salt.
For gluten free version, use gluten free pasta.