Growing up, my mom would make us lemon chicken cutlets that were coated in flour and seared to golden perfection. It was one of my favorite meals, and mom loved it because you can never go wrong with easy chicken dinners for busy weeknights. This Test Kitchen-approved lemon chicken pasta tastes just like my mom’s lemon chicken, but it’s even better because thanks to a pile of garlicky pasta.
Lightly dredge boneless skinless chicken breasts in flour, sear them in a little olive oil and then make a quick pan sauce using the brown bits for extra flavor. After cooking the pasta, save some of the starchy water to help thicken the sauce—a great cooking tip from most pasta recipes. Spruced up with garlic, white wine and lemon, every strand of pasta is coated in this delightful sauce, and the golden brown chicken sits right on top for a perfect meal.
Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are super accessible and easy to use. Purchase them cut into halves of about 6 ounces each, or cut them in half yourself once you’re at home. If using frozen chicken, make sure to thaw it completely before using. Here’s how to defrost chicken safely.
- Lemon: Lemon is the key to all the flavor in this recipe, so you want to use fresh-squeezed lemon. Pro tip: Squeeze lemons over a small strainer to catch all the seeds.
- Flour: Dredging chicken in flour before searing gives it a crispy coating, like a very light fry. Use all-purpose flour or your favorite gluten-free blend.
- Olive oil: Olive oil for cooking is a little different than olive oil you’d use for salad dressings. Although it’s only a few tablespoons, use the best olive oil brands for the best flavor.
- Garlic: Because garlic is a key ingredient, it’s best to use fresh garlic. Of course, because this recipe requires 12 cloves (!!), you might want to buy pre-peeled garlic for ease.
- Pasta: Capellini or angel hair pasta are perfect for this recipe because the thin strands soak up the lemony, garlic sauce. You can absolutely use spaghetti or linguine.
- White wine or chicken broth: You can use either of these or both for the sauce. The wine will give it a slightly brighter flavor whereas the chicken broth will add a deeper, meatier flavor.
- Cheese: Fresh grated Parmesan cheese mixed with the pasta and sauce make this dish extra creamy. For a cheaper substitute, use Grana Padano which is a similar, domestic cheese. Stick with cheese that you grate yourself for the best results.
Directions
Step 1: Dredge the chicken
Set up a station to prepare your chicken with a clean cutting board, and a wide, shallow bowl of flour. On the cutting board, use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
Sprinkle the thinned chicken breasts with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip them into the flour to coat both sides, then shake off the excess flour. Lay them out on a sheet pan and set aside.
Editor’s Tip: Get your pasta water boiling before you start preparing your chicken, so that everything is ready at the same time.
Step 2: Cook the pasta and chicken
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Gently place the chicken into the hot oil. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, or until it’s no longer pink. You can also use a digital thermometer to test the internal temperature; it should read 165°F. Remove the chicken and keep warm while you finish the pasta.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente.
Editor’s Tip: To tell when your olive oil is ready, throw a tiny pinch of flour into the oil. If it sizzles, you’re good to go.
Step 3: Make the pan sauce
In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 to 60 seconds or until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with wine or chicken stock, and then increase the heat to medium-high. Stir to loosen any browned bits from the pan, and cook until the liquid reduces by half. Stir in the lemon juice.
Step 4: Finish the pasta and serve
Strain pasta, but reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta water. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the grated cheese, 1/3 cup parsley, half of the garlic mixture and the remaining salt and pepper to the pasta. Toss everything to combine, adding enough reserved pasta water to moisten. Slice the cooked chicken and place it over the pasta for serving. Drizzle the remaining garlic mixture over it, and then sprinkle the remaining parsley. Serve with additional grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.
Editor’s Tip: Place a heat-safe measuring cup in the empty strainer to remind yourself that you want to reserve some of the pasta water.
Variations for Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Try a different pasta: I am partial to angel hair pasta—there’s just something about that incredibly thin pasta when it’s smothered in cheese! But really any type of pasta would be great with this dish. It doesn’t even have to be a long pasta, you could use other pasta shapes like orecchiette or farfalle, which are equally great for soaking up that cheesy sauce.
- Use dark meat instead: If you’re not into chicken breast, this dish would be great with chicken thighs. The meat might take a little longer to cook (it should also be 165°), but it will be a bit juicier.
- Add some extra seasonings: Feel free to add extra seasonings to your chicken and/or the dredging flour. Think Aleppo pepper, thyme or other herbs.
- Add vegetables: If you want to get your veggies in as well, add something green like broccoli, asparagus or spinach. If you use broccoli or asparagus, give it a quick cook before adding it to the pasta. Spinach can just be mixed in raw in Step 4 and will wilt with the warm pasta.
- Add briny bites: The lemon sauce is delicious on its own, but consider adding chopped capers or olives (or both) in Step 4 when you mix together the pasta. It will give a pop of color and more importantly, extra flavor.
How to Store Lemon Chicken Pasta
Store your leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. You can store the chicken and pasta separately in order to keep the chicken from getting soggy (if it’s just a little bit of leftovers I don’t mind storing them together). When you’re ready to enjoy it again, just heat up the pasta and chicken together in a saute pan or microwave.
Can you make lemon chicken pasta ahead of time?
You can make this dish ahead of time, but keep the chicken and pasta separate until you’re ready to serve. Cook the chicken and pasta up to one day in advance. When it’s time to serve, crisp the chicken in a pan, then make the pan sauce as in Step 3. Reheat the pasta in the microwave, and pull the dish together as in Step 4.
Chicken Lemon Pasta Tips
What wine is good to use for lemon chicken pasta?
What’s great about cooking wine is that you don’t have to be too picky. It’s ok to be more budget-conscious when choosing a wine for cooking, but stick with a varietal that you’d drink with the dish. For lemon chicken pasta, a bright pinot grigio would work well.
What can you serve with lemon chicken pasta?
This dish can be a meal in and of itself, especially if you add some greens to it. Parmesan roasted broccoli would make a great side dish, or stick with one of our top salad recipes. It would also be great with something super fresh and crispy like this radish cucumber salad.
