lemon chicken pasta

 Last week, my experiences in the kitchen were basically all flops.  I scalded my left hand in boiling liquid, spilled barbecue all over the floor, and ruined the lid to one of my most-used dishes.  But worse than all of that, I had a series of bum recipes!  Everything was edible...even good...but it wasn't great.  Definitely not worth telling you about.

Discouraged by my lack of success, I turned to a very inspirational TV show...Everybody Loves Raymond.

"What?" you may be thinking.  Everybody Loves Raymond inspirational?  Yep, it is!

You see, Everybody Loves Raymond is about cooking.  Now, I know, I know, the storyline revolves around a momma's boy husband whose strange family and headstrong wife can't seem to get along.  But, underlying all of their hilarious drama, there's always food.

Raymond's mother, Marie, is a fantastic cook.  Raymond's wife, Debra, is a terrible cook.  And, at least once an episode, the laughing viewer is reminded of these two facts.

Last week, I really felt like Debra.  I tried, and I tried, and nothing turned out right.  But then I remembered that there's at least one meal that Debra can cook (so she cooks it all the time)...lemon chicken.  And if Debra can do it, I can do it!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

• 2 lemons, divided
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 t. each Cajun seasoning (or seasoned salt), freshly ground black pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme, and rosemary
• 1/2 t. sage
• 16 oz. package pasta, cooked
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. pepper

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish; drizzle with 1 T. olive oil and juice from one lemon.  In a small bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, black pepper, tarragon, basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage; pour over chicken breasts.  Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, saute garlic in 1 T. olive oil for 1 minute.  Add sugar, pepper, and juice from half of a lemon; mix.  Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.

To serve, cut chicken breasts into thin strips and arrange over pasta.  Garnish with slices from the remaining lemon half.  Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 254 cal, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 68mg cholesterol, 368mg sodium, 19g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 31g protein, 1% vit. A, 10% vit. C, 3% calcium, 11% iron.