...with Pasta Shells and a Browned Butter Sauce

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Spicy golden chicken with a lemony twist to tantalise the tastebuds from the kitchens of  nosphaer

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This delicious marinated, breaded chicken is a meeting of rich with tart and savory flavors that is tough to turn down. The heat is a light yet lovely touch. Here it is served with one of my favorite pastas. Note that though this makes two fillets of chicken, it's enough to stand as 4 entrees, especially alongside another component.

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Ingredients

1 Fillet of Chicken Breast (This is vague, but it's literally half a chicken breast, cut to the same general shape, but half the thickness; 1 breast makes 2 of these)
1 tsp. Black Pepper, finely ground
1/4 Cup Lemon Zest, of about 3 lemons
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed (of about 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil / Clarified Butter
Flour (About 3 cups, with a tablespoon of salt mixed in; this won't all be used)
Oil, about a cup-and-half, for pan-frying
4 Tbsp. Salted Butter
2 Lemons
2 tsp. Black Pepper, finely ground
1 Jalapeño, cut brunoise
Sriracha Sauce
4 Servings of Med. Shell Pasta, ~6 Cups

Procedures

Place the fillets in a zip-lock bag or a small lidded bowl. Then, in a mixing bowl, mix together the zest, 1 tsp. pepper, 3 Tbsp. of juice, and Olive Oil. Pour this over the chicken and shake the container gently to coat. Marinate the fillets for 30 minutes.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil to a medium-high heat level. Pour the flour out into a plate or shallow dish. Shake the marinade off of the fillets and dredge the fillets in it, shaking off excess after a thorough coat. Fry the fillets immediately thereafter, or the breading will be gummy and fall off almost entirely.

Fry the fillets to doneness by touch, if you can denote it that way, or by temperature. The last thing you want to do is cut it, because cut chicken will dry out when returned to the hot oil. (Doneness by touch is significantly firmer and more set than the feeling of raw chicken, but it takes experience to use this check)

When done, pull the filets from the oil, and leave them to drain on a wire grid-rack. Optionally, set them in a warm oven to prevent drying out or cooling drastically. Simply, do not cover the fillet, or the breading will get soggy. Begin boiling 3 to 5 cups of water for the pasta.

Then, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat, stirring it occasionally. As soon as the melted butter reduces to a burnished brown, but not blackish, and has a nutty, caramel-like aroma, pull it off the heat, and begin boiling the shell pasta.

Peel the lemons and cut them into supremes, for the best texture and size. If this is not desired, simply cut the lemon into thick rounds; cut the rind off, and separate the chunks of lemon flesh, removing the seeds. Handle the lemon delicately, as it will disintegrate into juice, if handled too roughly.

Strain the pasta, when al dente (about two minutes before the recommended cooking time given on boxes), and return it to the pot, reducing the heat to medium-low. Immediately pour the browned butter over the pasta, fold in the lemon pieces, add the pepper, and garnish with the jalapeño brunoise.

Plate the fillet, sliced or whole, atop or aside the pasta, drizzling lightly with the sriracha, for color and heat. As pictured, a little parmesan added another lovely rich note, nearly necessary, in light of the potent tart flavors here.

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Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may effect your health and well-being