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Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

  • Author: Chef Maria

Description

A delicious and easy-to-make pasta dish featuring tender chicken in a creamy lemon sauce with garlic and parmesan. Perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining guests.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Crust:

  • For the chicken:
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • For the pasta:
  • 8 oz fettuccine or linguine
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • For the sauce:
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • For garnish:
  • Fresh parsley, chopped
  • Extra parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the Crust:

  1. 1. Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and set aside.
  2. 2. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove and let rest before slicing.
  3. 3. In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. 4. Pour in heavy cream and chicken broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
  5. 5. Stir in parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
  6. 6. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat evenly. If needed, add a splash of pasta water to thin the sauce.
  7. 7. Slice the cooked chicken and arrange over the pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra parmesan cheese before serving.

Notes

For a lighter version, you can substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. The lemon flavor will be strongest right after cooking – for more mellow flavor, reduce lemon juice to 1 tablespoon. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.