Description
A bright and comforting pasta dish featuring tender chicken in a rich, lemony cream sauce with garlic and parmesan. Perfect for weeknight dinners yet elegant enough for guests.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- For the chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- For the sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- For the pasta:
- 8 oz fettuccine or linguine
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
1. Prepare the Crust:
- 1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- 2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove and let rest, then slice.
- 3. In the same skillet, sauté garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth to deglaze, scraping up browned bits.
- 4. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in heavy cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 5. Whisk in parmesan cheese until melted. If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- 6. Add cooked pasta and chicken to the sauce, tossing to coat. Garnish with parsley and red pepper flakes before serving.
Notes
For extra flavor, marinate chicken in lemon juice for 30 minutes before cooking. Sauce thickens upon standing – add more broth if needed for leftovers. Substitute half-and-half for lighter (but less creamy) results.