Rigatoni al Limone Parmigiano

I was a very lucky girl this holiday season. For Hanukkah, my mom and sisters bought me 5 cookbooks. Needless to say, there has been a rumbly in my tumbly ever since! Unfortunately, I've had very little time to dive in to any recipes. But you all know I love tradition, so tonight, Saturday, is date night! After reading through about 200 recipes, I stumbled upon a pasta (DUH!) dish from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook "My Father's Daughter" that looked so refreshing and delicious. (And, yes, it's THAT Gwyneth!) It's a spaghetti (I opted for Rigatoni because I like the shape) dish with a lemon, basil, and parmesan sauce. Sounds RIGHT up my alley!!! I added some chicken to make it that much better (and make me feel less guilty!)

What you'll need (for the chicken marinade):
2 chicken breasts cut into cubes
2 shallots thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large plastic ziplock bag

1. Slice the shallots thinly and add them to the bag of the cubed chicken breasts.

2. Add the chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil into the plastic bag and give it a good shake!!! Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight (as with any marinade, the longer the better it will taste!!!)

3. After a few hours (or however long), heat some olive oil (or grape seed oil) in a large skillet on medium high heat. Pour the entire bag of chicken and its contents onto the skillet and sauté until the chicken is cooked all the way through (eh, about 5 minutes). Make sure you CHECK THE CHICKEN after about 5 minutes. You do NOT want tough chicken.

What you'll need (for the pasta):
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half one lemon
Pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
3 tbs. olive oil

1. Place the zest of 1 lemon in a bowl.

2. Add the lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the bowl. Mix it all together.

3. Whisk in the olive oil until it turns into a paste

4. Meanwhile, boil and salt some water and cook the pasta until it's al dente (not TOTALLY cooked, but still has a little bite to it).
5. Add your pasta to your serving bowl and pour the sauce over it.

6. Top with a little more parmesan (why not?!) and some fresh basil leaves (basil goes GREAT with lemon!)

enjoy :)