Quick Meal Fix-- Shrimp "Skimpy"

I had a pretty rough day at the office, but too tired to cook anything that required a lot of energy. I peeked into my freezer and found a bag of frozen shrimp that I had completely forgotten about (I have to say, I am thankful to have an upright freezer in my garage-- it makes cooking fast meals a little easier on me). I grabbed a box of pasta (I keep a variety on hand, because pasta is one of my favorite "go to" fast meal solutions. I had "Shrimp Scampi" on my mind...

In my fridge, I also found one chicken breast that needed to be cooked. My husband isn't wild about shrimp, but my son and I love it. So, I quickly marinated the chicken in olive and oil and garlic-- and I then I grilled it on my cast iron pan:

I figured I'd slice the chicken and serve that with the pasta-- that way everyone would be happy!

I love Shrimp Scampi, but there is a ton of butter and garlic which adds up to a LOT of fat grams. I thought of a delicious Tilapia Picatta recipe I had recently made, and so I got busy in the kitchen. This version is one that I make as a quick Work Week Meal. I use less butter and more chicken stock, but it's still very tasty and satisfying.

Shrimp "Skimpy:

I didn't measure, so I've tried to recreate what I think would work:

Ingredients:
Raw Shrimp, deveined (tails on or off)-- I was cooking this dish for three servings, so I calculated about 8 large sized shrimp per person
(Note: I buy my frozen shrimp at Trader Joe's)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
Generous Splash (about 1/4 cup)White White (I use sauvignon blanc)
Chicken stock (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Italian parsley, finely chopped (about 1-2 Tbsp)
Linguini (cooked according to box directions-- fettuccine or any kind of spaghetti pasta is OK)
Parmesan cheese (grated)

Preparation:

• If the shrimp is frozen, I do a "quick thaw" by soaking in water (takes 10 minutes)
• Cook pasta, in salted water, according to directions.
• Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water
  

• In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute' shrimp, until they just turn pink (no more than 2-3 minutes). Overcooked shrimp turns tough!
  

• Remove shrimp and set aside (I put mine in a lightly warmed oven)

• Add the rest of the olive oil and butter.
• Add garlic and cook, until just fragrant (about 30 seconds)
• Add the wine and cook for about 1 minute
• Add the chicken stock; cook at medium heat until slightly reduced (3-5 minutes)
• Return the shrimp to the skillet

Add the pasta and combine; turn off heat

• Note: if the pasta appears too dry or stick, add a little pasta water to moisten
• Add fresh parsley and parmesan cheese

From start to finish, this meal was on the table in 20 minutes! My husband loved the chicken and pasta and my son ate two huge helpings. I dubbed the recipe "Shrimp Skimpy" since I didn't use nearly the amount of butter that a true Scampi calls for.

I felt much better-- especially when the "boys" did the cleanup!