Description
This Lemon Chicken Pasta is a vibrant and flavorful dish combining tender chicken breasts with a zesty lemon sauce, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, tossed with perfectly cooked pasta. It’s a quick and satisfying meal perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta
- 8 ounces pasta any shape
Chicken
- 4 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- zest of 1 large lemon
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 Tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Garnish
- lemon wedges
- fresh parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt, and cook the pasta just shy of al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Season chicken: While the pasta cooks, lightly sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with kosher salt, garlic powder, fresh-ground black pepper, and the zest of one lemon.
- Cook chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot and butter is just melted, cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and nearly cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté garlic and spices: Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter to the skillet. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant.
- Make sauce: Pour in the white wine. As the wine bubbles, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan to incorporate into the sauce. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, more lemon zest if desired, and Italian seasoning. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it bubble for about 1 minute.
- Toss pasta and cheese: Stir in the drained pasta followed by the grated Parmesan cheese. Toss everything well. Taste and adjust salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes if needed.
- Finish cooking: Nestle the chicken breasts back into the skillet among the pasta. Let everything cook together for another 1 to 2 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Serve: Garnish with lemon wedges, fresh parsley or thyme, and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Adjust red pepper flakes according to your heat preference: reduce to 1/8 teaspoon or omit for mild flavor, or add extra for more spice.
- If preferred, fully cook the chicken first, then slice it and stir bite-sized pieces into the pasta.
- Use any pasta shape you like, though medium-sized shapes that hold sauce well work best.
- White wine can be substituted with additional chicken broth for a non-alcoholic option.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
