GRILLED CHICKEN FLORENTINE PASTA

I love pasta recipes, but I try not to eat them a lot, since they seem to love my butt and thighs (if you know what I mean).  But alas, it had been awhile, so I went with a Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta. 

I'll be absolutely honest, I didn't grill the chicken.  I just didn't feel like firing up the grill for this....but I'll plan better next time and grill a bunch of chicken and freeze some for later.  It was super yummy with just lightly browned chicken on the stovetop, so I can only imagine how much tastier it would be with grilled chicken!

Get the noodles cooking while you're putting together the rest of the dish, and you'll be ready to eat in about 30 minutes!

INGREDIENTS:

2 (6 oz.) chicken breasts, skinned

3/4 tsp. salt, divided

3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided

8 oz. uncooked linguine (I used fettucine since that's what I had in the pantry)

2 Tbsp. canola oil

3 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. chopped fresh garlic

1 cup whole milk

1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)

3 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

4 cups fresh spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare grill (if you're going to grill).  Season chicken with ¼ tsp. salt and pepper.  Grill chicken.  Let stand 10 minutes, slice thinly.  If you're browning the chicken, season the same way.  Using a large oiled skillet, brown over medium heat.  Slice thinly.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain well; keep warm.   

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.   Cook garlic until lightly browned.  Stir in flour.  Add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk; bring to a simmer, and cook 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.  Add remaining ½ tsp. salt and pepper, along with the spinach.  Stir until spinach wilts.  Add pasta and chicken; toss to combine.

Enjoy!

recipe c/o:  www.myrecipes.com