Lemon Pepper Chicken and Veggies is a dish that I often throw together in a pinch but never wrote down a recipe. Kind of like my Chicken and Veggies Pesto Pasta. These are 2 dishes that you can use almost any vegetable you have on hand and is extremely easy to throw together.
Friends started requesting the recipes so I thought it was about time to put one on paper and make it official.
The first step is to cook your noodles, doesn’t have to be linguini, just use whatever you have on hand that you like. Cook them to the package directions for al dente.
While your noodles are cooking, mix together the sauce ingredients and prepare the rest of your other ingredients. Use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. I sometimes replace the zucchini with broccoli.
When the pasta is cooked to al dente, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, it will be used later to help create a sauce, and strain the noodles. Toss the noodles in with the lemon pepper sauce you just made.
Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Toss the cubed chicken in with the flour and lemon pepper. Add the oil to the pan and the chicken. Sauté the chicken until it starts to brown.
Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and onions. Sauté until the mushrooms and zucchini soften.
Now it’s ready to finish off.
Add the rest of the ingredients, including the reserved pasta water. Stir until the spinach wilts and the pasta is hot.
This is a great dish to serve family style. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and serve with lemon wedges and warm garlic bread or toast.
Enjoy!
Lemon Pepper Linguini with Chicken and Veggies
Equipment
- 6-quart sauce pot
- Large saute pan
- 2 medium bowls
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- ½ pound linguini
Chicken
- 2 each chicken breast cubed
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp lemon pepper
Veggies
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 1 each zucchini or yellow squash sliced in half moons
- 2 tbsp yellow onion fine chopped
- 1 can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 2 each roma tomatoes fine chopped
- 3 handfuls spinach kale and/or baby chard
Sauce:
- 1 each lemon zest and juice
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic fresh, minced
- 3 tbsp capers
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Other ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook linguini according to package instructions until al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Combine sauce ingredients and prepare vegetables.
- Once linguini is cooked, drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water, and stir linguini into sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour and lemon pepper, cut up chicken. Toss chicken in the flour and lemon pepper.
- Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat, add oil and chicken, brown chicken, about 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, zucchini, and onions, sauté until mushrooms are brown, zucchini has softened, and onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add artichoke hearts, tomatoes, spinach, butter, reserved pasta water, and linguini with sauce. Stir and cook until spinach is wilted and everything is nice and hot, about 2 minuutes.
- Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Notes
A nonstick pan will ensure nothing sticks to the bottom, but the chicken and veggies won’t brown as well.
A stainless-steel pan will create a brown layer on the bottom of the pan that can easily be scraped up when the liquid is added and enhance the flavor of the dish.
My preference is stainless steel, but a nonstick has the benefit of not having to scrape or scrub the pan.