Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe
This creamy lemon chicken pasta is about to be your new favorite meal. Zesty lemon and tender chicken come together in a creamy pasta bursting with flavor.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet or skillet of choice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast cut into ½-1” cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon zested + juiced
- 1 pound pasta of choice
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water to al dente according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before straining the pasta.
- Heat a large saucepan or pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Once hot, add the diced chicken to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the flour to the pan and whisk for about 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the heavy cream.
- Whisk frequently for about 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the freshly grated parmesan and the lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more salt if desired.
- Add the cooked pasta and chicken to the sauce along with ½ cup of the pasta water.
- Stir until everything is combined and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve with more parmesan and pepper on top if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- I like to use a garlic press and fresh garlic, but you can also buy pre-minced garlic at the store to save time mincing.
- Freshly grated parmesan is best for this recipe. Avoid using pre-packaged shredded parmesan to avoid unnecessary fillers and to get a better flavor.
- Do not skip the fresh lemon in this chicken pasta dish! The zest and the fresh juice add so much flavor to the dish.
- When zesting the lemon, be sure to only zest the surface yellow skin to avoid getting bitter zest into your pasta.
- Add a little bit of fresh parsley when serving to add some color to the dish. You can also sprinkle the pasta with red pepper flakes if you like a little spice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 765kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1218IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 268mg | Iron: 2mg