Lemon Chicken (pre-race) Pasta!

I made this dish the night before the Route 66 race. It's light and delicious and incredibly simple to make. All you need is an over-sized deep skillet. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp chopped garlic

red pepper flakes

2-4 large lemons

1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta

4 chicken breasts

3 tbsp olive oil

shredded cheese

Directions:

1.) Cook the penne pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Al dente = cooked through but the pasta still needs to be a little firm when you bite into it. Approx 10 minutes! Drain the pasta well.

2.) Add the olive oil to a large skillet and warm over medium heat. After the olive oil is warm, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. I am not a huge fan of exact measurements, so use as much as you prefer! If you love garlic, add more. If you like spicy, add more red pepper flakes...this is all to your liking!

3.) When you can smell the garlic and red pepper, add the cooked pasta and chicken into the skillet and remove from the heat. You will know when the garlic and red pepper are cooked when your kitchen starts to smell like the sweet chile sauce from your favorite asian restaurant. For the chicken, I buy the pre-cooked, pre-packaged Tyson brand fajita chicken. If you want to grill/bake your chicken, go for it! The pre-cooked stuff is just a shortcut - and again, add as much as you like. Two bags does it for me! Toss the pasta and chicken together with the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper.

4.) Squeeze lemon juice over the pasta. I prefer mine to be pretty moist and lemon-y, so I use anywhere from 2-4 lemons depending on the size and how much juice I get out of each. Remember, the lemon juice is basically replacing any type of sauce you usually put on pasta, so be generous!

4.) Mix well so that the lemon juice is well incorporated in the dish. Next: CHEESE! I use the italian blend of shredded cheese which includes: mozzarella, asiago, parmesan, romano, and fontina (yuummm). I use around 3 handfuls...extra can always be added in the individual bowls. Serve and stuff your face.