Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Pasta

Call us crazy...

Fair warning...you will probably think so after reading this.

MGG and I like to take time for lots of little getaways. Something that is weekend doable, not quite too far from LA and worth the drive. We just want to get a mental break and relax...

Needing a much deserved break we were looking for somewhere different to go and landed our sites on Palm Springs, CA. Here comes the crazy part. If you don't know anything about Palm Springs well, it's located in the dessert.

In the middle of nowhere really. So hello? it's summertime right? What were we thinking of? Going to stay in the dessert in the middle of summer with temps of 115 degrees. Yikes! Crazy huh!

Well really it wasn't all that bad, and we did go to relax. We ended up staying at the JW Marriott Dessert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Dessert and it was just wonderful. They have a lake that's pretty large. They offer boat rides around the lake and will shuttle you across the lake to your dinner reservation. Way cool! The grounds were really nice and we got to try several of the restaurants and bars. The food was amazing at The Rockwood Grill which overlooked the lake and the pools. MGG had a Beet Salad that was almost too pretty to eat. It was outstanding, and it even had homemade goat cheese which was just the icing on the cake. I had the Rotisserie Chicken Salad which I loved. It was a southwestern take on a salad with cilantro chipotle dressing that was killer!

So we relaxed by the pool, took in some sites and shopping and then sadly, had to return home. That's the sad part about short weekend getaways...not wanting to go home. Off we drove back to LA and back to reality.

We made it home is record time and once again, I decided to turn to a quick weeknight meal for our dinner. With what I had on hand I whipped up a wonderful dish I call Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Pasta. It's actually a riff off of my recipe for Mediterranean Lemon Chicken. I loved the sauce so much that I just made it again, but created a pasta dish with different veggies and chicken and put it all together with the wonderful lemon sauce.

You are gonna love this sauce and this quick and easy dish. MGG practically inhaled it, which is always a good sign. He even asked for seconds! Make sure to try this one, it's a keeper!



Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Pasta

serves 4-6

8 oz of linguine
3 T olive oil
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
8 oz of sliced mushrooms
1 large zucchini, cut in half and sliced
2 T flour
1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
salt & pepper
Fresh grated Parmesan

Cook linguine in boiling water according to package directions.  Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken pieces and cooks until just browned.  Add tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.  Cook until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.  

Drain pasta and keep warm.  Add flour to the skillet and cook 1 minute, stirring into vegetables.  Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, juice, and thyme to skillet.  Bring to a boil and allow to cook 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.  Add pasta to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.