Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken in a Creamy Rosemary Lemon Sauce

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Large Chicken Breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Juice from 1 Lemon
• 1 and 1/2 Cups Dry Orecchiette Pasta
• 2/3 Cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Goat Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese (I used a blend of the three I got at Trader Joe's)
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Rind
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• Water (for preparing the orecchiette)

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the olive oil and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breast pieces and lemon juice and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked all the way through, (this should be checked but cutting one of the larger cubes in half to peek inside). Remove the chicken from the pan using a slotted spoon so that the olive oil and garlic remain in the pan.



Lower the heat. Stir in the chicken broth, milk, grated lemon rind, salt, and 1 teaspoon of the rosemary. Once the mixture is hot, but not boiling, sprinkle the tablespoon of flour over the mixture and whisk it in. Continue whisking the sauce until the flour is fully incorporated and there aren't any flour chunks. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the pasta.



Prepare the orecchiette pasta according to the package directions. I recommend adding a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water you boil the pasta in. While the pasta is cooking, add the chicken pieces and goat cheese to the lemon sauce and stir until the goat cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. Once the orecchiette is cooked all the way through, strain it and drizzle some olive oil over it, stirring it a bit in the strainer, to help keep the pasta from getting stuck to each other.



Pour the orecchiette into a large bowl and add the lemon sauce and chicken, garnish with the grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary. Serve immediately.