Linguini with Lemon, Garlic & Dill Sauce

During my recent mini-vacation in Costa Rica, I had my fair share of rice & beans to last me through the end of the week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE rice and beans but in Costa Rica, they eat them every single day for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner! And yes, you read right, they eat the combo so much they even have it during breakfast, which is known as Gallo Pinto. Now this particular post is not about the great food I had during the trip, but more about me not being able to eat rice for about a week.

My first night back I decided to make a light and easy pasta dish, infused with different flavors that I didn't consume much during said vacation. I also knew that I wanted to make something that would be quick and only required minimum prep. My entire prep was done while I was bringing water for the pasta to a boil, and then cooked the chicken at the same time as the pasta was cooking. The picture unfortunately doesn't do the actual flavors in this dish any justice. Its light, but slightly creamy and full of bright fresh flavors that the lemon and dill bring to this dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb.chicken
1 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. garlic
1 1/2 tbsp.fresh dill
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp.pepper
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 cup Mozzarella

Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch bite sized pieces and place in large skillet. Juice the lemons and pour right over the chicken. Finely mince the garlic and add to chicken. Mix well and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium flame. (You can also marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes as well.)

Once the water has come to a full boil you can add your pasta and cook to al dente. Strain but keep about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the chicken mixture and blend well. For the mozzarella, I used Buffalo Mozzarella, the small round ones and broke them apart into small pieces and tossed it with the pasta. I used about 4 of the small balls, once broken apart is about 1/4 cup. Once the cheese starts melting into the pasta, slowly add some of the pasta water and mix frequently as this will start creating a nice light and slightly creamy sauce. Serve immediately.

For those of you who have never used reserve pasta water for thickening a sauce, i think this link is pretty helpful in explaining it.