Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is an easy recipe that’s ready in 25 minutes. The creamy sauce is made from Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and heavy cream, this simple meal is perfect for busy weeknights!
You’ll also love this lemon Parmesan pasta, Instant Pot creamy chicken pasta, and creamy garlic mac and cheese!
Delicious pasta recipes are one of my favorite meals and this lemon chicken pasta recipe is loaded on flavor and ready in no time.
Remember this creamy ground beef pasta, easy taco pasta, and Italian sausage pasta? So easy and ready for busy weeknights.
If you’re looking for a lemon pasta with simple ingredients and great flavor, look no further. This is sure to be a family favorite, even for those picky eaters!
With a creamy lemon sauce, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and al dente pasta, this dish has been on my dinner rotation for the past few months…it’s just that good! My husband loves the tender chicken and the bright lemon flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and easy: This recipe is ready in 25 minutes! That means less time in the kitchen and more time doing the things you enjoy.
- Great for planned leftovers: The creamy lemon pasta sauce prevents the noodles from drying out when reheated.
- Customizable: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but you can use chicken thighs, ground chicken, ground turkey, or another protein of choice.
Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe:
- Uncooked pasta
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Zesty Lemon Cream Sauce:
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Garlic powder
- Italian season
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Lemon Pasta with Chicken:
- Cook the pasta: Follow the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the chicken: Add the chicken to a preheated, oiled skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook and until done (6 to 8 minutes per side). Remove from the pan and let rest before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the lemon cream sauce: To the now-empty skillet, add the chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Simmer until slightly thickened (2 to 3 minutes).
- Assemble the pasta: Add the pasta and chicken to the creamy sauce and toss to coat.
How to Store Leftover Pasta:
This chicken pasta will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish, as the creamy pasta sauce will not turn out well once reheated.
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken Pasta:
While this pasta is delicious all on its own, I like to serve it with this cheesy garlic bread, a simple green salad, garlic lemon broccoli, or this lemon asparagus recipe.
Variations:
- If you want more lemon flavor, add some lemon zest to the chicken as it cooks.
- To make this meal extra easy, use shredded rotisserie chicken that you can find near the deli section of your grocery store.
- I like using heavy cream for this recipe because of the richness, but feel free to use half and half or milk (though it won’t be as creamy).
- I use garlic powder for ease and convenience, but fresh garlic cloves would make a delicious addition.
- Add some asparagus, sweet peas, or crispy bacon for even more flavor!
- Fresh basil or fresh parsley would make a tasty addition, too.
Tips for Making Creamy Lemon Pasta:
- Make sure the pasta is cooked until al dente. You don’t want to overcook it, as it will become chewy.
- If you’re using gluten-free pasta, watch carefully, as it tends to cook faster than regular pasta.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for best results. It takes just a few moments to grate Parm by hand, and freshly grated cheeses always melt more smoothly than the pre-shredded kind.
- A fresh lemon is a must for this recipe, since the combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest is what makes the creamy pasta sauce super lemony.
Looking for More Chicken Pasta Dishes? I’ve Got You Covered!
- Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- One Pan Chicken and Spinach Gnocchi
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Pasta
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, (to taste)
Creamy Lemon Sauce
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper , (to taste)
- Zest and juice from one lemon
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and then add olive oil. Add chicken to skillet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook and brown chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
- Remove chicken from pan, let rest for 3-4 minutes, and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Scrape the bottom of skillet to get the browned bits off from bottom of pan. Then add chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Add pasta and chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Adjust seasonings and garish with additional lemon zest/juice, if needed.
Notes
- This chicken pasta will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- See my tips and tricks for making this Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta above the recipe box.
hi there what heavy cream I’m in England could i use yoghurt or fromis frais? thanks in advance Sarah x
Hi Sarah! Heavy cream is heavy whipping cream here, a thicker, richer version of milk (commonly used to make whipped cream). Milk would be the best substitute, though it won’t be as creamy. Cream cheese could also be used, though I’m not sure of the texture, as I haven’t tried this before. Hope you enjoy!
Here are a few substitutes for the heavy cream. Hope this helps.
https://blog.creamchargers.co.uk/substitutes-for-heavy-cream/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20substitute%20for,by%20far%20milk%20and%20butter.
Hi, love the sound of this recipe especially as the branches of my lemon tree are almost doing a curtsey from the number of lemons draping from each branch. Lol. Anyway, I have a simple question about after cooking the chicken. When you scrape the brown bits from the pan, do you discard them or do they get added in to the sauce. I’m hoping to cook this in two days time when one of my nieces visits for lunch. She loves anything lemon and chicken. Thank you.
Hello! I keep the browned bits in the pan after scraping to add more flavor, but you can discard if you would like. Hope you all enjoy!
This is a really tasty dish. I would’ve liked to add some baby peas, which would have been a REALLY great addition. My Italian son-in-law says it’s a keeper. However, it didn’t do well reheating the next day.
Peas are a great addition! Glad you enjoyed! Creamy pasta is definitely tricky to reheat. Adding a touch of liquid to the sauce sometimes helps.
My family and I really liked this recipe. I added more lemon than what it called for and seasoned the chicken slightly different. It was a hit and I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed! Thanks for sharing!
Not only was this easy and quick, it was delicious! Even my picky SIL loves it. So win-win for sure!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed, Millie!
the flavor was absolutely amazing and all my friends loved it! my only problem was (this is probably totally my fault so i’m asking more for advice) that i couldnt get the parmesan cheese to melt correctky so i had like big globs of cheese in it. i let it simmer for awhile stirring it. maybe i just used a poor quality parmesan but if anyone has any tips pls let me know!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed! Your cheese was probably globby because you heated it too much or maybe didn’t use grated parm. I’ve never had that problem before…maybe trying stirring well before bringing to a boil.
This is really good!! I did double the sauce and added red pepper flakes
I’m so happy to hear that, Dan!
Absolutely beautiful dish, easy to make, now one of my go to favourite dishes 😋
I’m so happy to hear that, Linda!