Chicken Cacciatore with Lemon-Pepper Pasta

Chicken Cacciatore
4 chicken breasts
2 cans (15 oz, I think- whatever the normal sized cans are) diced tomatoes, one drained and one not drained
1 tsp. (about 2 cloves) minced garlic
seasonings: basil, oregano, salt & pepper, fennel seed, garlic powder, onion powder
olive oil (about 2 tbsp)

Heat a skillet at med-high heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add 1 tsp. fennel seed to it, let it cook about a minute or so. Sprinkle each chicken breast w/ salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano and place in pan season side down. Season the other side of the chicken while the first side cooks. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side, (or until each side is golden and slightly crusty). Remove the chicken from the skillet, put it on a plate and cover it w/ foil. Add the minced garlic to the skillet (and a little more oil if there's none left in the pan), and cook a minute. Add the tomatoes w/ juice and stir around the pan, scraping up the little bits stuck to the bottom, then add the drained can of tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes (you might want to add a little salt and pepper to the tomatoes). Add the chicken back to the pan, cover it, and let it cook until the chicken is done all the way through.

Lemon Pepper Pasta
1/2 box orzo pasta (I use angelhair if I can't find orzo)
1/4 c olive oil
1tbsp butter
2 lemons 
salt
fresh ground pepper, about 2 tsp. (regular will work, it's just not as pungent as fresh-ground.)

Cook the pasta according to directions on the pkg. In a med. skillet, heat the olive oil and butter at med-low. Once the butter is melted into the oil, add a pinch of salt, the pepper, and the zest and juice of both lemons. Keep the heat low and let it keep warm until the pasta is done. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet, mix so that the pasta is coated in the lemon-pepper oil.

Serve the chicken & sauce over the pasta.


Posted by: Erika