Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta: Perfectly al dente pasta is drenched in a rich creamy lemon sauce and topped with flavorful chicken for a simple but hearty pasta dish!
It should not come as a surprise that we are big pasta people around here. From comforting Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta to this TikTok famous Baked Feta Pasta Recipe, if there is pasta, we are in! (You’ve got to check out what kind of pasta I use instead of noodles in the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup.)
Whether it is a busy weeknight or a special occasion, this lemon chicken pasta will wow your entire family when they dig into the bright lemon flavor, tender, seasoned chicken and noodles coated in a silky Parmesan cream sauce. Rotate this recipe on the menu along with this cream cheese pasta, and you’ll have a couple of pasta recipes that everyone will love!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients – a few staples from your pantry and fridge and fresh produce are all you need to whip up a big pan of creamy pasta (similar to our cream cheese pasta!)
- Big lemon flavor – the lemon pasta sauce gets citrus flavor from both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
- Easily vegetarian – we topped our creamy lemon pasta with chicken, but you can use mushrooms, tofu or roasted veggies
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Ingredients
Get the full recipe card with instructions below!
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 – 13 oz. of spaghetti (about 3/4 of a standard 16 oz. box)
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of water as directed on the packaging.
- In a small bowl, add flour and garlic powder and stir together.
- Place each chicken breast in the flour mixture and press on all sides to cover it.
- In a large deep skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat oil and add the chicken breasts. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet (leave all of those flavorful brown bits!), add the rest of the olive oil (1 tbsp), add the onion and garlic and cook until softened.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice; stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the cooked pasta, and stir until the pasta is covered with the creamy sauce. Remove from heat.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve and top with sliced chicken breast. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Substitutions and variations
One of our favorite things about this creamy lemon chicken pasta recipe (and most pasta dishes) is how flexible it is! Here are a few ways that you can adjust this recipe to fit your family or what you might have on hand.
- Chicken – We used chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can use dark meat like chicken thighs if you prefer. If you are in a time crunch, you can also use shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Pasta – While we used spaghetti noodles, any long pasta (fettucini, linguini or angel hair pasta) will work. Gluten-free pasta is also an option.
- Add ins – Feel free to stir in sweet peas or cooked broccoli florets for some added veggies. Add a tablespoon or two of cream cheese to the sauce to make it even more creamy.
- Toppings – Sprinkle bite sized pieces of chopped crispy bacon on top, add fresh basil or fresh parsley or for a little heat, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Storage
Store this lemon pasta with chicken in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Since this dish is made with dairy, freezing it is not recommended.
FAQs
- What does adding lemon to chicken do? Lemon not only adds flavor to the chicken but it can also tenderizes the chicken. However, I don’t recommend marinating chicken for longer than about 12 hours as it can make the chicken rubbery or tough.
- Can I make this recipe ahead of time? Yes! When you are going to reheat the pasta, stir in about 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock (or broth) to keep the sauce creamy.
Related Recipes
If you loved this pasta recipe, then you’ll also love this pasta dish with corn and tomatoes, this easy beef stroganoff recipe, as well as this bbq chicken pasta!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a review below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 boneless skinless, chicken breasts
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 12 oz spaghetti noodles
- 3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of water as directed on the packaging.
- In a small bowl, add flour and garlic powder and stir together.
- Place each chicken breast in the flour mixture and press on all side to cover it.
- In a large deep skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat olive oil and add the chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet (leave all of those flavorful brown bits!), add the rest of the olive oil (1 tablespoon), add the onion and garlic and cook until softened.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the cooked pasta, and stir until the pasta is covered in sauce. Remove from heat.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve and top with sliced chicken breast. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Kristyn says
Simple, but oh, so tasty!! All my favorite flavors are in this! We have made it a few times recently, since the whole family loves it!
Jamie N says
My new favorite pasta! Love the creamy lemon flavor with the chicken!
Natasha says
I made this for dinner tonight. WOW, it was so delicious and restaurant quality! I highly recommend that you try this recipe.