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Lunch recipe · from the recipe book

Garlic Chicken Orecchiette with Lemony Spinach

Golden seared chicken and tender orecchiette tossed in a fragrant garlic olive oil with wilted spinach, lemon and nutty Parmesan.

Garlic Chicken Orecchiette with Lemony Spinach

Ingredients

  • 11½ oz320 gPasta, dryshort shape such as orecchiette
  • 10½ cups2,500 gWater
  • 1 lb450 gChicken breast, boneless skinlesscut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp40 gOlive oildivided
  • 8 cloves24 gGarlicthinly sliced
  • ½ tsp1 gCrushed red pepper
  • 6⅔ cups loosely packed200 gBaby spinach
  • 2 tbsp30 gLemon juice
  • 2 tsp4 gLemon zest
  • ⅓ cup grated40 gGrated Parmesan
  • ¼ cup chopped15 gFresh parsleychopped
  • ¾ tsp4 gSaltdivided
  • ½ tsp1 gBlack pepper

Steps

  1. Prep first: cut the chicken, slice the garlic, chop the parsley, zest the lemon before juicing it for the lemon juice.
  2. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot with half the salt.
  3. Season the chicken with the remaining half of the salt and the black pepper.
  4. Heat one quarter of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes until golden and 165°F (74°C) inside. Move the chicken to a plate.
  5. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
  6. Lower the skillet heat to medium-low and add the remaining three quarters of the olive oil, the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Cook gently 2 to 3 minutes until the garlic is pale golden, not brown.
  7. Add the spinach to the skillet and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute.
  8. Add the drained pasta, the chicken, the lemon juice, the lemon zest and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss until glossy, adding more pasta water as needed.
  9. Off the heat, toss in the Parmesan and the parsley, then serve right away.

Contains: Milk, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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