Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken with Linguine

Alert the presses! I'm blogging a new meal! I'm seriously trying to get back into cooking more at home. CPE is winding down, and I've noticed a few pounds creeping on, even though I've been exercising. Plus, we're beginning the house-purchasing process, and my budget-consciousness has been put on alert. I have made meals in the past week but did not find them particularly bloggable. This was a recipe I had bookmarked quite a while ago for it's simplicity. I added steamed broccoli as an accompanying vegetable.

The chicken was delightfully spicy, and I loved the tequila and lime flavor. Joe said that he wished there was more. I don't normally do the meat/starch/vegetable meal, so this was a nice change of pace, and the pan sauce definitely made it seem special.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken with Linguine
source: Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded out just a bit (I used one enormous breast cut in half)
  
• Spices: Kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, dried parsley, dried cilantro, paprika (Sprinkle to your liking.)
  
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 c tequila
• 1 14.5 can low sodium chicken broth
• Juice from 2 limes
• Handful of chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro, which also worked nicely.)
  
• 1 tbsp butter
• Olive oil
• 2 oz of dry pasta per serving

Preparation

• Coat chicken in the dry spices - I simply shook the spices right onto the chicken from the spice jars and then rubbed them all in. I don't measure, but it was probably about 3 shakes from each bottle per side of chicken.
• Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan.
• Add chicken and cook on medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side. The chicken will turn a beautiful golden brown color. If the chicken is not cooked all the way through, lower your heat and continue to cook, or transfer it to the oven to finish (covered).
• Remove chicken from the pan and add another tbsp of olive oil.
• Add garlic, saute.
• Deglaze pan with the tequila.
• Add chicken broth and lime juice; bring to a boil.
• Add parsley.
• Whisk in butter to thicken the sauce up a bit.
• Serve chicken over linguine; top with the sauce.