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Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta with Chicken

Close-up of a bowl of Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta with Chicken, topped with lemon zest and parsley.
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A straightforward recipe for rich, creamy pasta featuring bright lemon zest, pungent garlic, and tender pieces of chicken.

Ingredients

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  • 1 pound fettuccine or linguine pasta
  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining. Set the drained pasta aside.
  2. Season the chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
  5. If using wine, pour it into the skillet and let it simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
  6. Pour in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
  7. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  8. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
  9. Return the cooked chicken and the drained pasta to the skillet. Toss everything together until the pasta and chicken are fully coated in the sauce.
  10. Stir in the fresh parsley. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese on top.

Notes

  • To prevent the sauce from splitting, always remove the skillet from direct heat before stirring in the Parmesan cheese.
  • For a lighter sauce, you can substitute half-and-half for heavy cream, but the texture will be less rich.
  • If you skip the wine, use 1/4 cup of chicken broth in step 4 instead.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://flavorzine.com/creamy-lemon-garlic-pasta-with-chicken/