Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
This restaurant-worthy Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is easy enough for weeknights, yet impressive enough for company. It's a family favorite recipe and guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 lb.boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced into cutlets
- 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsplemon zest
- 2 tspdried oregano
- 1 ½ tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- ¾ tsp.kosher salt
- ¾ tspblack pepper
- 1 lbpasta of choice ((i prefer something long and twirly, such as bucatini, spaghetti, pappardelle, or fettuccine))
- 1 tbspbutter
- 1 ½ cupsfinely chopped yellow onion
- 6garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cupheavy cream
- ¾ cupchicken broth
- ¾ tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper
- ⅓ cupfinely chopped fresh parsley ((plus more for garnish))
- ⅓ cupgrated parmigiano reggiano cheese ((plus more for garnish)
- 1 tbsp.lemon zest plus 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- fresh baby spinach or arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted broccoli, sautéed mushrooms
Directions
- 1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
- 2
Meanwhile, prepare chicken. Place chicken in a bowl and combine with olive oil, lemon zest, and spices. Toss well to thoroughly coat both sides of chicken in seasoning.Heat a large high-sided skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Arrange chicken in pan and cook until nicely golden and internal temperature reaches 165ºF, about 7 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- 3
If your water is boiling at this point, begin cooking pasta until just shy of al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.Prepare sauce. Add butter to the pan (no need to wipe clean) along with chopped yellow onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion softens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add heavy cream, broth, salt, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the mixture slightly thickens, about 5 to 6 minutes.Stir in parsley, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice.
- 4
Add pasta to the pan with sauce, along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Increase the heat to medium-high, and toss vigorously with a pair of tongs. Continue cooking and tossing constantly, until the pasta is glossed in a thick sauce, about 2 minutes.If the sauce becomes too tight, add another splash of the reserved pasta water and toss again. When the sauce is nicely thickened and glossy, turn off heat.
- 5
Thinly slice chicken and place on top of the pasta. Garnish with extra chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.