Easy Skillet Lemon and Garlic Chicken
Lemon and garlic chicken tossed with tomatoes, orecchiette, and fresh mozzarella. It starts out on the stovetop and then bakes in the oven for 15 minutes for a delicious, healthy and quick meal.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6-8 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups orecchiette uncooked
- 1 cup spinach chopped and stems trimmed
- 3 oz mozzarella pearls or thinly sliced
- dried parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- In a large cast iron skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Leaving skillet on burner, decrease heat to medium-low and wait just a minute. Then add butter and once melted add crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Toss in the tomatoes and cook for about 6 minutes stirring frequently. Add chicken stock, chopped spinach, lemon juice, and lemon slices and increase heat a bit. Cook another couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts back to the skillet. I like to place a few of the lemon slices on top of the chicken at this point. Fill in the skillet with the cooked orecchiette. Add mozzarella pearls or slices evenly over the chicken and pasta.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
- Sprinkle some dried parsley on top for garnish and more salt/pepper if needed.