This lemon chicken pasta is creamy, flavorful, and has just the right bright/tart lemon taste. It's an easy, 35-minute dinner recipe you don't want to miss!
Ingredients
Chicken and Pasta
12ouncespasta, Pictured is penne, but any pasta will work. Gluten-free, if needed
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain then return the pasta to the pot and toss with a little splash of olive oil.
12 ounces pasta
While the pasta water is heating, pound the chicken breasts with a mallet or rolling pin so that they are ½ inch thick. (See notes) Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2 chicken breasts, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side, reducing the heat if needed, until they are cooked through. Remove them from the pan and slice them into bite-sized pieces once cool enough to handle then add them to the pot with the cooked pasta.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Make the lemon cream sauce in the same pan as you used for the chicken. Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion is soft and transparent. Add the chicken stock and scrape the pan of any stuck-on bits. Add the parmesan, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.
1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ medium yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, ½ cup chicken stock, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Pour the lemon cream sauce over the pasta and cooked chicken and toss to combine. Serve with a little parsley sprinkled over the top for color.
Notes
While pounding the chicken breasts helps them to cook faster and more evenly, you can skip this step, but you'll need to cook the chicken longer since it will be thicker. It will take about 10 minutes per side. If you'd like to add some heat to this recipe, add some red pepper flakes to the sauce!