Chicken with lemon pasta and asparagus

Another family favorite - just got some wonderfully thin, baby asparagus at the store....yummy yummy yummy!

Doesn't it look gorgeous?

Ingredients:

* 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or equivalent in breast "tenders") cut into bite-size strips

* 1 bunch asparagus - thin is best, but if you love asparagus like we do, it matters not - rinsed and cut into 1" pieces

* 1 bag tri-color rotini (corkscrew) pasta

* 1 lemon, cut into quarters, squeezed (save the juice!), and peel reserved

* olive oil - plain, or lemon-flavored is nice

* salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* and start pot of water to boil for pasta, and start chopping up your chicken pieces, asparagus, and prepare your lemon: chop, squeeze, remove remaining flesh and seeds, and ZEST the lemon (see tip below).

2. Place asparagus pieces in 13x9 glass (or similar) pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast for 10 minutes in oven; start cooking pasta.

3. Heat 2-3 Tb. olive oil in large skillet, add chicken and brown, adding seasonings to taste. When it is fully cooked, remove to bowl, reserving all the drippings and oil. Return pan to stove - do not rinse it out.

4. Your asparagus and pasta should be done just about now - remove asparagus from oven and drain pasta, returning it to pot or large serving bowl. Using a spatula, scrape all contents (oil included) of asparagus pan into pasta, and do the same with your bowl of chicken. Set aside.

5. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to pan and warm it over low heat, scraping and reserving the browned bits from just having cooked your chicken. Add fresh lemon zest and gently cook to a light-golden brown. Remove from heat, then pour in lemon juice and whisk mixture together. This is your sauce.

6. Pour sauce over contents of pasta/chicken/asparagus mixture and toss together - add more olive oil if need be, but you should have enough.

Options: if you want a creamy sauce, add a can of cream of asparagus or cream of mushroom soup to your lemon juice/zest mixture before pouring over the pasta mixture; consider seasoning your chicken with lemon pepper for a little extra flavor.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese, Italian bread, and a nice fruity white wine, and enjoy!

Behold the lemon zester - this is the one I own, courtesy of "The Pampered Chef" ($9.95), and I got it specifically to make this recipe.

The "zest" of the lemon is the white stringy stuff on the inside of the peel. After you juice the lemon, peel away the fiber and flesh (like peeling an orange) and then use your zester to scrape away at the white zest, until you've nearly scraped through to the yellow rind. A good size lemon will yield a few tablespoons of zest. You can also use a traditional grater to zest the lemon, just be careful not to get your fingers or knuckles!