Creamy Lemon Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

Creamy Lemon Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

Cook’s Notes: Asparagus, a spring star, is a succulent, savory vegetable that contains a stimulating blend of nutrients, making this a fantastic food for your health whether it’s grilled, roasted or baked. This creamy comfort food will warm you up on a wintery day.
Cooking Tip: For more tender pieces of chicken marinate for 2 hours in buttermilk. Roast asparagus while making chicken dish. Don't skip adding red pepper flakes as it adds punch to the dish.
Recipe serves four and adapted from cookingclassy.com

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup buttermilk 
• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced in small pieces
• 1-1/4 TB. olive oil, divided 
• ½ cup sweet onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• ¾ lb. asparagus spears, woody stems removed 
• 1-1/2 TB. butter
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) low sodium chicken broth
• 1 TB. flour
• 1-3/4 cups water 
• 2 cups dried penne
• ½ cup roasted red peppers (jarred), drained on a paper towel and diced 
• 3 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 cup fat cream cheese) diced 
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1-2 TB. lemon juice
• 1-1/2 TB. dry white wine
• dash red pepper flakes
• 1 TB dried parsley flakes

Directions:

• Place chicken pieces and ¾ cup buttermilk in a zip loc bag. Marinate for 2 hours, drain. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
• On a parchment lined baking sheet spread asparagus spears out evenly and drizzle with ¼ tablespoon olive oil, grate fresh parmesan cheese over spears and roast 15 minute until al dente. Cut into pieces. Lay foil piece lightly over to keep warm and set aside. 
• Heat olive oil and sauté chicken with onions and garlic about 4-5 minute until cooked. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove chicken mixture and keep warm with asparagus pieces. 
• Add butter to pan with water, broth and penne. Bring to a boil and cook penne to al dente. There will be some broth /water leftover to use as sauce. 
• Mix flour with a little water add to the broth with cream cheese, Parmesan, peppers, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes and parsley. Mix well. Add in asparagus pieces and chicken. Cook on low heat until thickened. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.
  

Jacqueline Woodson is known for her award winning young adult and middle grade children's novels, “Brown Girl Dreaming” and now her newest first novel for adults “Another Brooklyn”. NY Times rated it as one of the most notable books for 2016.

Follow her at www.jacquelinewoodson.com

The Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader today announced the appointment of Jacqueline Woodson, four-time Newbery Honor Medalist, Coretta Scott King Book Award winner and former Young People’s Poet Laureate for her memoir-in-verse “Brown Girl Dreaming,” as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her term began in January 2018.

Woodson will travel nationwide over the course of her two-year term promoting her platform, “READING = HOPE x CHANGE (What’s Your Equation?),” which encourages young people to think about – and beyond – the moment they are living in, the power they possess and the impact reading can have on showing them ways in which they can create the hope and the change they want to see in the world.

A very deserving award for this author. She is inspirational and a role model.