Chicken & Artichoke Pasta with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

Here is the great pasta we made Saturday night:

Served 4 with leftovers:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
salt & pepper

1 Tbls. olive oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1 1/2" pieces
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 lb. fresh vegetables (we used asparagus, but zucchini or green beans or broccoli would work)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (if packed in olive oil, drain and rinse)
1/4 cup sliced black olives or roasted red peppers, or mushrooms (optional)
4 cloves garlic
grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbls. sugar
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 jar of prepared Ragu Alfredo or Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Sauce

1 lb. Barilla Pasta Plus or Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole-grain Linguini.

Crushed red pepper or chopped parsley for garnish.

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Trim and pound the chicken breasts 1/4" thick, then slice into strips or bite-sized pieces. Chop all the vegetables into 1 1/2" to 2" pieces, grate and juice the lemons, set everything out, ready to go.

When pasta water boils, add 1 Tbls. salt to the water and put in the linguine. Stir to separate, set timer for 10 minutes. In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil and butter over high heat, add chicken pieces and quickly cook for 2 minutes, tossing with pressed garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove chicken to a bowl.

Add second Tbls. of olive oil to the skillet. Add scallions and vegetable pieces, cook over high heat for about 1 minute, then add the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, and olives or peppers or mushrooms if desired. Press garlic over all, and quickly cook until vegetables are crisp-tender and artichoke hearts are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest, then lemon juice, then wine and sugar, stirring to coat. Add chicken back into skillet. Turn heat down to medium and simmer.

Test pasta for doneness. Drain and return to pasta pot. Add Alfredo sauce to chicken & veg, stir, check for seasoning. Spoon sauce over pasta and sprinkle with crushed red pepper or parsley for garnish.