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Simple & Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is bright, cheesy, and comforting. It is a flavorful dish the entire family will love!

Cucumber Tomato Salad and some Fresh Breadsticks pair perfectly with this Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta! To complete the meal whip up a Dirt Cake Parfait!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta topped with sliced lemon in a pan


Creamy Lemon Pasta

With as often as my family gets together, pasta dishes are a staple. They are quick, easy, and can feed a lot. We’re always on the hunt for new, simple, delicious pasta dishes and today’s recipe checks all of the boxes.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is worthy to share and is a must-try! This pasta dish is made is not made in the typical “prepare the pasta and sauce separately” kind of way. Having said that, it’s still simple since it’s pretty much made in 1 pot!

We loved how flavorful this dish was even without cheese. If you still would like to add cheese, just add some grated Parmesan or even some shredded Mozzarella cheese at the end to make it even more tasty. Either way, we think you’ll enjoy it.

How to make Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

CHICKEN. Prepare chicken by squeezing lemon over both sides and seasoning with 1 tsp garlic powder and 3/4 tsp pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

PASTA. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, add remaining tsp of garlic powder and pepper to chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, approximately 25 minutes.

SAUCE. Cut up your chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir in to your pasta, along with the whipping cream and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring every minute.

SERVE. Remove from heat. Let stand about 5 minutes before stirring and serving. (Sprinkle shredded or grated cheese on top if desired).

Recipe Tips + Storing Info

Zest is taken from the peel of citrus fruit. Wash and dry the fruit. Using a zesting tool, or the small side of a cheese grater start rubbing the peel. Stop when you get to the white layer. A medium lemon will yield 2-3 tablespoons of zest. 

Variations:

  • Use your favorite shape of pasta such as bowtie, wagon wheel, shell, ziti 
  • Add mushrooms, peas, asparagus, spinach
  • Add some heat with red chili flakes
  • For a better lemony flavor add more zest

Make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer depending on when you plan to serve the meal. Either way be sure to undercook the noodles or they will continue to absorb liquid and turn out large and mushy. You can make it the day before, cover, and store in the fridge. Reheat it on the stove top and serve! 

To FREEZE, place it in a freezer safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then allow the dish to sit on the counter for about an hour before adding it to a skillet. Keep in mind freezing dishes with cream can cause the cream to separate and create a grainy texture after it has thawed. You can help combat this by adding fresh cream and reheating the dish slowly over medium low heat. 

STORE leftovers in an airtight container the fridge for 2-3 days. You can either eat the leftovers cold or warm it up in a skillet over medium heat. If your dish is looking a little dry add some extra cream. If you’re in a hurry you can heat it up in the microwave.

Creamy Lemon Chicken topped with parsley and lemon slices.

For more Chicken & Pasta dishes, be sure to try:

5 from 9 votes

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Simple & Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is bright, cheesy, and comforting. It is a flavorful dish the entire family will love!
Servings: 6
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half
  • 1 lemon quartered
  • 2 tsp garlic powder divided
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper divided
  • 29 oz chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh
  • 16 oz penne pasta cooked as directed on box
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp lemon zest grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • shredded cheese (optional)

Instructions 

  • Prepare chicken by squeezing lemon over both sides and seasoning with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, add remaining teaspoon of garlic powder and pepper to chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, approximately 25 minutes.
  • Cut up your chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir in to your pasta, along with the whipping cream and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring every minute. Remove from heat. Let stand about 5 minutes before stirring and serving. (Sprinkle shredded or grated cheese on top if desired)

Nutrition

Serving: 6g, Calories: 633kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 154mg, Sodium: 661mg, Potassium: 793mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 918IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 76mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Adapted from Allrecipes.com



About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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24 Comments

  1. How is it possible to cook pasta so long when it is typically ready in only 12 minutes? Isn’t the pasta mushy by the end of 25 minutes?

    1. Yes, you add your pasta to the chicken broth, seasonings and lemon juice. Then cook until the liquid is absorbed.

  2. 5 stars
    This is a consistent rotation recipe. BUT! I just now figured out I have been making it wrong for, like, 2 years. (No judging). The reason I figured it out is because when I came back to the recipe through my saved Pinterest, there were pop up ads, so I was literally memorizing steps (even though I have made it like 30 times, I need the refresher course every single time) as I went through the ingredients. Right there in the ingredients list it says “pasta cooked as directed on box”. Nope. I have always added the pasta(uncooked) to the seasoned chicken broth. And it has always been amazing. Except the one(!) time I didn’t carefully watch it and it burned my pan. Another BUT! Pinterest saved me with how to clean up the mess. (Heat the pan and deglaze with vinegar). Seriously yummy.

    1. Yay! Pinterest for the win!! Glad to hear that it has turned out well either way still and that it a go-to recipe for your family! 🙂