Lemon Chicken with Angelhair
April is here? Where are the tulips? Why is it still cold? When is it going to be Spring!?! These questions run through every pinned-up New Yorker’s mind, as they long to come out of their latter stages of cabin fever.
New York City winters are brutal and seem ungodly long, spanning anywhere from 5 to 6 months typically. Around the fourth month, we find ourselves yearning for the flowers to push up, warmer weather to be upon us and even more important than agreeable temperatures, the trees to burst forth their foliage. In the span of 2 days, as gentle weather falls upon our fair city, the trees transform the monochromatic, hard-edged Gotham terrain into a lush, vibrant urban paradise. I liken it to when Dorothy steps out of the pallid dullness of Uncle Henry’s house and finds herself in the middle of Munchkin technicolor splendor, in the Wizard of Oz.
As I write this, I also find myself asking what is on the minds of so many a New Yorker: April is here? Where are the tulips? Why is it still cold? When is it going to be Spring!?! As it has been unseasonably cool though out many parts of the southern US this year, is it really worth vacationing to a traditionally warmer region only to be forced to wear clothing suited for a late-autumn weekend in Maine? Probably not. Why be out of a sizable chunk of change and continue to have those springtime cravings? I have an affordable solution.
Food has the propensity to cure what ails you. I am sharing a recipe-remedy for those final stages of cabin-fever. This delicious printemps panacea utilizes the sunny flavors of lemon, rosemary and white wine. It’s a crisp, light flavor combination that will tie you over until Spring has sprung.
Light & Delicious
Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Angel Hair (serves 4)
1/3 cup, olive oil +2 tablespoons for sauteeing chicken
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tablespoons, fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup, white wine
1 lemon, juiced (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon, salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
3 chicken breasts, diced into 1 1/2” cubes
1/2 box angel hair pasta
1 bunch, broccoli heads, cut into florets
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
4 heaping tablespoons, grated parmesan cheese
Fill a medium sized pot with salted water and bring to a boil
Meanwhile, place oil and garlic in a large frying pan and turn on heat to medium-high. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, cook for 8 seconds then add chooped rosemary and cook for an additonal 4 seconds, mixing the oil with a whisk.
Immediately add white wine to the oil and boil down the sauce by half. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to the wine sauce and reseve.
In a separate pan, sautee chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes until almost cooked through and add the wine sauce to the chicken. This will create a sizzle/steam effect, perfuming your kitchen with the aromas of warmer weather to come. Turn off the heat to the chicken.
Add angel hair to the boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with a woden spoon to prevent the pasta from sticking. After 2 minutes, add the broccoli to the pasta and cook for an additional 1minute and a half. Strain the contents in a collander and add pasta and broccoli to the chicken.
Mix parsley and parmesian with the contents of the pan, making sure that the sauce is evenly incorporated with the pasta prior to serving.
