Lemon Chicken Pasta for Presto Pasta Nights!!

For some silly, strange reason I don't cook much pasta in the summer. Pasta feels wintery to me. But since I am the host of Presto Pasta Nights this week, I can't very well not make pasta, now can I?? I had some leftover cooked chicken in my fridge, and with that in mind, I decided to look in the indexes of my numerous cookbooks under pasta. It sounds more difficult than it was, since I found this recipe in the first book that I pulled off the shelf!

Yep, the first book I pulled off was Donna Hay's Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry. I needed something really easy because I would be getting home late, and Ms. Hay never disappoints me. She constantly reminds me that with a little olive oil, a chili pepper or two, and some herbs, you can make dinner out of anything. This was very good. And I seriously had this on the table within 25 minutes of walking in the door.

Lemon Chicken Pasta
Serves 4

14 oz spaghetti or linguini
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed (I only had brined)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped
3 cooked chicken breasts fillets, shredded
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place the pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water, cook as per directions, and drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over high, in a skillet large enough to hold the sauce and the pasta. Add the oil, capers, garlic and chillies and cook for 1 minutes. Add the chicken and the lemon zest, and cook until the chicken is warmed up, about 4 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan, with the lemon juice, basil, and salt and pepper. Toss to combine and top with the paremsan cheese before serving.

As I said above, this will be my entry for Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by yours truly! Send your entries to morefromscraps AT comcast DOT net. Oh, and the whole thing about pasta being wintery, forgetaboutit! This was perfect.