Lemon Chicken Pasta

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A creamy and dreamy dinner, this Lemon Chicken Pasta will be your new favorite meal! A light cream sauce is brightened up with lemon zest and tossed together with rotisserie chicken and spaghetti noodles. Ready in 30 minutes or less and easily made vegetarian. If you love this recipe, try my Lemon Basil Pasta with Spring Veggies.

lemon chicken pasta on plate

Lemon Chicken Pasta: the Basics

I am in love with this recipe and not afraid to show it. I made this three times over the course of two days and have the extra pounds to prove it. Essentially, this is like a classic alfredo sauce that is brightened up with shallots and lemon zest to give it incredible flavor. It’s extremely easy to make and is simple to make vegetarian. In a nutshell, this Lemon Chicken Pasta is:

  • a decadent but not-too-heavy pasta
  • can be as lemony as you’d like!
  • Has a light nutty and oniony flavor, thanks to the shallots
  • uses minimal ingredients, like butter, cream, parmesan cheese and lemon zest
  • is ready in 30 minutes or less
  • butter and shallots in a pan
  • cooking shallots in a pan

Not All Parmesan Cheese is Created Equal

Whether you’re making a classic Fettuccine Alfredo or a Lasagna, using real Parmesan Cheese is key. While you can buy pre-shredded or grated parmesan cheese, more often than not, they have additives or starches to prevent the cheese from clumping. (This is true for all cheeses that are grated that you buy in a bag.) While they are extremely convenient, it makes it nearly impossible to melt smoothly into any sauce. I highly recommend seeking out real parmigianno regianno and either grating it yourself at home or finding it grated from the store, without the additives.

Typically, the parmesan cheese that you want will be by the specialty cheeses, close to the deli wrapped in plastic wrap (whole cheese) or in a plastic container (grated). Yes, it will be more expensive, but it will be worth it.

How to Make Lemon Chicken Pasta

Next to my bow tie pasta recipe, this is one of the fastest pasta recipes on my whole site. It has minimal ingredients and comes together quickly. Here’s how to make it:

Cook the Pasta

Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti according to pasta directions and cook until al dente. Remove about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and save for later. Drain pasta and set aside.

  • cream, cheese, lemon zest in pan
  • lemon cream sauce for lemon chicken pasta

Make the Lemony Cream Sauce

For the sauce, place a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and saute shallots until browned. This should take 2-3 minutes. The browned shallots give amazing flavor to the overall dish, so don’t skip this step.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce down by at least half. Pour in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir to create a smooth cream sauce.

Toss with Chicken

Once the cheese has completely melted, toss with pasta and shredded chicken. Feel free to pour in a little pasta water to get the sauce to the desired consistency. You might not need the full amount and, depending on preference, you might not need to use it at all.

tongs serving lemon chicken pasta

Make it Vegetarian

While I’ve made this with shredded rotisserie chicken, I’ve also tried it without and it’s delicious either way! It comes down to preference. If you do end up using the chicken, you may notice you use more of the reserved pasta water to get that sauce right where you want it, because shredded chicken holds sauce. And the opposite is totally true, too. You might not use nearly as much if not using.

Another great option would be topping this with some grilled chicken.

Delicious Side Dishes

If you are looking for something delicious to serve with this Lemon Chicken Pasta dinner, look no further! Here are some of our favorites.

lemon chicken pasta in pan

So there you have it! Delicious, simple and decadent Lemon Chicken Pasta. We hope you love it as much as we did! Even making it three times in two days was not enough for me. Be sure to print/pin/save/bookmark and share! It’s a good one you won’t want to loose.

lemon chicken pasta on plate
Print

Lemon Chicken Pasta

A creamy and dreamy dinner, this Lemon Chicken Pasta will be your new favorite meal! A light cream sauce is brightened up with lemon zest and tossed together with rotisserie chicken and spaghetti noodles.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Alfredo Chicken Pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Calories 1109kcal

Equipment

  • 1 12" nonstick skillet

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1/4 cup finely diced shallots
  • 1/2 cup cooking white wine
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest use as much or as little as you'd like
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breasts with skin removed

Instructions

  • Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti according to pasta directions and cook until al dente. Remove about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and save for later. Drain pasta and set aside.
  • For the sauce, place a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and saute shallots until browned. This should take 2-3 minutes. The browned shallots give amazing flavor to the overall dish, so don't skip this step.
  • Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce down by at least half. Pour in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir to create a smooth cream sauce. Once the cheese has completely melted, toss with pasta and shredded chicken. Feel free to pour in a little pasta water to get the sauce to the desired consistency. You might not need the full amount and, depending on preference, you might not need to use it at all.
  • Divide pasta between serving dishes and top with parsley and thin lemon slices. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 1109kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 59g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 270mg | Sodium: 738mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1761IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 2mg

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