Lime Chicken Linguine with Cilantro Cream Sauce

*Original recipe has baked zucchini under the chicken but I left it out because I didn't have any on hand. But I'll leave it on this recipe in case I ever want it. I also just diced a tomato and added it on top instead of using cherry tomatoes mixed with the pasta.

Lime Chicken Linguine with Cilantro Cream Sauce
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Chicken

1/4 cup lime juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Whisk together 1/4 cup lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add the chicken breasts. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, turning the chicken occasionally. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.

Linguine

1 (8 ounce) package linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Transfer linguine to a large mixing bowl; add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, and the quartered cherry tomatoes; toss until the pasta is evenly coated in oil.

Zucchini (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425. Lie the zucchini on a baking sheet. Coat the zucchini with 1 tablespoon olive oil with a pastry brush. Place zucchini on middle rack in the oven, and bake, turning every 5 minutes, until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Sauce

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine (I substituted with more chicken broth)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cilantro and garlic, cook and stir 1 minute. Pour in the wine, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons lime juice, and return to a simmer. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir in the cream and green onions; bring to a boil and remove from heat.


*It was a little hectic when I was cooking this because I was doing everything at the same time (I was on a timed schedule and had to be somewhere that night). So, here's the sum up of the order in which to cook this meal.

When cooking entire meal

1. Marinate chicken 1-2 hours beforehand.
2. Start cooking pasta, slice and bake zucchini, and start frying chicken at the same time (all take about 15-30 hour.)
3. Add other ingredients to pasta after cooked.
4. Make sauce.