Chicken and Pasta for dinner...what more could you ask for?

Romano Chicken with Lemon Garlic Pasta 

This dish isn't really "light" but it has a light flavor.  This is one of my wife's favorite dishes.  

The recipe below is for two but is easy to expand as needed for additional servings.

Ingredients:

Romano Chicken

• 1/2 pound chicken breasts, butterflied or thinly cut into cutlets. (I substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs for a bit more flavor)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 egg
• dry parsley
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• olive oil for frying

Lemon Garlic Pasta

• 1/2 pound of linguine or spaghetti or other pasta of your choice
• juice from 1 lemon, or to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• zest from 1/2 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of whipping cream, or to taste
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Chicken Romano: Place parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.  in another dish, put beaten egg with dry parsley; in third dish put the panko bread crumbs.
2. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; dredge with parmesan cheese, dip into beaten egg; press the chicken in panko bread crumbs to coat on both sides; shake off the excess bread crumbs.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan; add chicken and cook on low heat until golden and cooked through.
4. Lemon Garlic Pasta:  Cook your pasta according to the package directions; drain (reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water)
5. Add lemon juice to a pan; add garlic, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until liquid is reduced to about half.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and slowly melt into your sauce, while swirling the pan; add the remaining butter and repeat; stir in the whipping cream and about two tablespoons of the pasta water.
7. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine.  Serve Romano chicken over lemon garlic pasta and enjoy.

You can enjoy more or less lemon depending on your taste.  Don't be afraid of using lemon zest, it truly adds much flavor to the pasta.  Another thing that you might observe is that sometimes the garlic will turn a light shade of blue.  This is due to a reaction from the acids in the lemon juice and it is completely harmless.

                                                                     

 Drink Pairings:

            Wine:  For this dish, I would recommend a light white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc from             Duckhorn or Kendall Jackson.  Crisp and aromatic, with plenty of citrus flavors, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most food-friendly, white wines.  

            Beer: I would recommend a Peroni or a Moretti with this dish.  Any light pilsner type beer works well with this dish.

            Cocktail: A Prosecco cocktail pairs well with this dinner.  This is a fairly simple cocktail made with 4 ounces of Prosecco, 1 ounce of Grand Marnier and a tablespoon of lemon juice.