The Lemon Chicken and Spring Vegetable Alfredo recipe features asparagus, squash, roasted tomatoes, and lemon-marinated chicken. The first time I tasted this dish was at Riverside’s Jammin’ Bread restaurant at one of their Friday night dinners. The colorful vegetables were arranged into individual pasta bowls with chicken, pasta, and a light alfredo sauce. It was so good, that with permission from Cheryl Duffy, the owner, I decided to make it for an upcoming fundraising dinner I was organizing.
The “Recipes for Change” fundraiser was organized for Sister District, a local political group that supports progressive candidates in conservative states. Chani Beeman and Marilyn Odello opened up their home, and my team and I staged a kitchen takeover to make a signature Blue Wave Cocktail, Blue Cheese savories, Burrata Salad, and this Lemon Chicken with Spring Vegetable Alfredo. The house vibrated with laughter, conversation and warm greetings. It gave me an opportunity to build stronger bonds and relationships with people I admire, like Sue Mitchell and Zee Beard. It was a dinner party that captured the feeling of belonging, of doing something important for a cause. And it all happened over a simple bowl of pasta and vegetables.
Cheryl Duffy – Serves 8
Ingredients
- 12 oz Chicken breast with skin and bones
- 16 oz Penne pasta
- 3 lg Yellow squash, cubed
- 2 Bundles of asparagus (blanched and cut into 2” lengths)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil1 t Salt for seasoning
- 1/4 C Lemon juice (for marinade)
- 1/4 C olive oil (for marinade)
- 4 Sprigs of Thyme (for marinade)
- 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (for marinade)
- 2 teaspoons of salt (for marinade)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (for marinade)
- 24 cherry tomatoes
Ingredients for lemon sauce
- 2 C Low-fat milk
- 3 oz Cream cheese
- 3 T Flour
- 1 t Salt
- 1 T Butter
- 3 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 C Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 t Lemon zest2 T Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
Directions
- Make marinade by combining lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Marinate the chicken breasts overnight if possible. Bake chicken breast at 300 degrees for 35 minutes or until juices run clear. Once the chicken is done baking, let it cool for five minutes. Remove skin and bones. Cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Place cherry tomatoes that have been coated with olive oil and salt onto a cooking sheet in the oven and roast (do this at the same time you are cooking the chicken).
- Par-boil asparagus by taking a large stock pot filled with water. Bring to a boil and add salt. Once water is at a rolling boil, add asparagus and cook for three minutes. Then place the vegetables into an ice bath for five minutes to stop cooking.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, salt, and cubed squash, then mix well. Place ingredients onto the cooking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 Minutes. When you take the dish out of the oven, add the pre-cooked asparagus and mix with the squash. Add Cubed chicken to this mixture.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the penne until al dente (about 11 minutes). Drain and return to a large pot.
- While the penne is cooking make the Creamy Lemon Parmesan Sauce.
- In a large saucepan, add butter and flour to make a rue. Add minced garlic in the rue and cook for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook the garlic. Over medium-high heat, add the milk and cream cheese to the saucepan of garlic and stir continuously with a wire whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Use a rotary cheese grater to shred the parmesan quickly. Mix in the Parmesan, stirring until it melts completely. Zest the lemon and squeeze two tablespoons of juice into the Creamy Parmesan sauce.
- Pour the lemon Parmesan sauce over the pasta mixture. Stir to coat the pasta evenly, and then add the vegetables with the sauce—season with salt to taste.
Mangia by Pia 