Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

I stumbled upon a great blog called Recipe Shoebox. I have really enjoyed browsing through all the recipes posted there. I made the Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach a few weeks ago, and I loved it! It had a really strong garlic flavor because you infuse the olive oil with fresh garlic. I think that if you cut down on the garlic, it would still be tasty! I also added crumbled feta and Kalamata olives- just because I could! I am like that sometimes!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach
(From the Recipe Shoebox)

6 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 box (1-lb) penne pasta
5-oz. fresh spinach, chopped
1 Tbs. dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh)
6 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small glass bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute to blend flavors. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the flavored oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper chicken and cook in the oil over medium high heat until chicken is browned and juices run clear. Add the chopped spinach and saute with the cooked chicken for 1 minute (or until just barely wilted) and remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package; drain well. Add cooked chicken/spinach to pasta, along with basil, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Then stir in the remainder of the flavored olive oil. Toss lightly until all ingredients are well-combined. Serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.