Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta and Roasted garlic-garlic bread

Ok so I wouldn't say I'm the greatest chef alive, but I know my way around the kitchen. I wanted to make something pretty easy but with a lot of flavor for Monday Night Suppers (when I first moved here a group of girls/significant others I work with got together and started cooking for each other and taking turns, and they graciously allowed me in!) And this recipe seemed to be the perfect thing and it turned out pretty good. I was pretty proud of myself because I'm not usually great at homemade cream sauce (too much stirring and too many lumps) but this recipe was really easy! And roasted garlic?! Who knew how good it was? No but seriously who knew and never told me because I want to do it all the time now, sooooo good and my apartment smelled amazing too!

Anyway here goes.

So first I preheated the oven to 350 for the garlic and roasted that for 30 minutes while I marinated the chicken (I used chicken tenderloins because I needed smaller pieces and chicken breasts usually take a long time to cook and I'm usually not patient enough). Once the chicken had marinated I threw them onto the skillet and put the lid on, flipped once and took off the pan. I had to do 2 separate batches because I doubled the recipe but while I waited for the second pan to cook I cut up the chicken and set it aside.

At this point the garlic was done (I used a meatloaf pan, I couldn't find aluminum foil for my baking sheet but this actually worked out perfect. I cut off the tops, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and just let them do their thing).

And voila! Meal done!

Errr ok so I actually suck at this whole take pictures thing while cooking. Maybe I'll get better (probably not)(but that garlic picture is so artfully done, and that chicken! So clever...)

Either way, the recipes are below. I would make this garlic bread every day if I could, best ever. I also substituted bow ties for linguine.

Ps. I made it vegan! Earth balance butter and almond milk :) couldn't even tell the difference! (Ok I mean minus the chicken but I served everything separate)

Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup bottled lemon pepper marinade (I used Ken’s)
2 tsp dried basil

2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup pesto

12 oz linguine1 tomato, chopped and seeded

Combine lemon pepper marinade and dried basil. Pour over chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Grill chicken for 12-15 minutes, or until done (165 degrees).

While the chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm. 

Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and lemon zest. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Add pesto and mix well. 

To serve, slice chicken into strips. Toss cooked pasta in the pesto, top with chicken and garnish with tomatoes.

She took good pictures... http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/08/creamy-lemon-pesto-chicken-pasta.html

Roasted Garlic Bread

Ingredients

3	bulbs garlic
2	tablespoons olive oil
1	(1 pound) loaf Italian bread
½	cup butter
1	tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (not optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.

Set the oven to broil. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally, and place cut side up on a baking sheet.

Squeeze the cloves of garlic from their skins into a medium bowl. Stir in the butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Spread onto the cut sides of the bread.

Broil for about 5 minutes, until toasted. And if you're like me SET THE TIMER!

I cut my bread in half but left it attached, and it turned out fine too, a lot quicker.

Thanks for hosting Amber!

xo A