Lemon Chicken Pasta

This light Lemon Chicken Pasta is easy to make in just 25 minutes. Tender chicken breasts, plenty of Parmesan, and a lemon garlic sauce that’s bursting with flavor make a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy. No cream needed!

Easy Breezy Chicken Pasta with Lemon

If you’re looking for a meal that’s easy to make, feels restaurant-worthy, and likely to please even choosy kids, you’re in the right place! This is a lighter take on lemon chicken pasta that is satisfying, delicious, and done in a flash.

What makes this recipe work? First, the chicken is well-seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest, so it is flavorful and develops a nice crust. Then, using the same skillet to brown the chicken, make the sauce, and toss everything together guarantees you have layers of flavor and don’t waste one iota of the delicious seasonings.

The Secret’s in the Sauce

This lemon chicken pasta recipe has no cream in the sauce. Give it one taste and I bet you’ll agree it’s not needed! The sauce is light yet bursting with flavor.

Watch It Come Together (Video)

Ingredients & Common Substitutions

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

• Chicken Breasts: I highly recommend using thinly-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They cook more quickly and evenly and are the best way to ensure chicken doesn’t become dry or tasteless when cooked in a skillet. I often buy them that way to save time, but you can slice your own by carefully cutting a “standard” chicken breast in half through the middle to make two thinner portions.
• Pasta: I used farfalle here, aka bowties, but have also made this with penne and rigatoni. Really any nubby pasta shape will work. Spaghetti is often a popular choice, but be aware it may not hold such a light sauce as well.
• Lemon Juice and Zest: This is a prominent flavor, so use fresh lemon juice if possible. In a pinch, you could use bottled juice and skip the zest.
• Chicken Broth and/or White Wine: White wine is optional; you can substitute additional chicken broth or stock if needed or preferred.
• Freshly-minced garlic.
• Grated Parmesan cheese. Go ahead and save yourself some time: pre-grated or pre-shredded Parmesan works just fine in this recipe, because you don’t need it to melt down smoothly, as you would in mac and cheese.
• Olive oil and butter: Using a combination ensures the sauce is flavorful but not too heavy.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, red pepper flakes (optional and can be adjusted to your heat preferences), Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper.
• Fresh Herbs: An optional but pleasing pop of green over the finished dish. Try flat-leaf Italian parsley, curly parsley, or a sprig of fresh thyme. Sprigs of oregano or rosemary would work, also. Really you can’t go wrong with herbs and lemon!

Can I make this recipe dairy-free?

Yes! Because this is not a creamy sauce, it’s easy to make the whole dish dairy-free. Simply skip the Parmesan or use your favorite vegan or dairy-free brand.

How To Make Lemon Chicken with Pasta

This is truly so easy to make, even for a busy or new home cook. Here are the steps and a quick visual overview. You will find full instructions with exact ingredients in the print-friendly recipe card below.

First, set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta. Cook just to al dente, according to package directions, then drain and set aside.

Pro Tip: Add more salt than you think you should to water boiling for pasta; it should be salty like the sea to impart subtle flavor into the pasta!

While the pasta bubbles away, season the chicken with an even sprinkling of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and lemon zest, then cook it in a mix of butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When browned on the outside and nearly cooked through, remove to a plate and set aside.

Once the chicken is removed to a plate, it’s time to make the light lemon garlic sauce. Begin by adding a smidge of additional butter and olive oil, then cooking the garlic and red pepper for just a minute, until fragrant. Add white wine, if using, and scrape the bottom of the pan well to deglaze.

You’ll most likely have some browned bits semi-stuck to the bottom of your skillet. Those are incredibly flavorful, and you want them in your sauce – not stuck to the bottom for you to scrub off later. Ha! Scraping the pan right after pouring in a liquid over heat is the way to get them off and working for you. This is deglazing the pan, and it’s a shortcut to extra flavorful sauces every time.

Add drained pasta and toss well.

Add a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and stir to incorporate.

Finally, return the chicken breasts to the skillet, nestling them in among the sauce-soaked pasta. Let everything simmer over medium heat for another couple of minutes, just enough time for the flavors to meld and the chicken to finish cooking through.

Garnish generously with extra Parmesan, lemon zest and/or wedges, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley or any other herb that you like. Serve into shallow bowls or plates and dig in!

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

How can I avoid dry chicken breasts?

The most fool-proof tip to avoid dry chicken is to use an instant-read thermometer. When chicken hits 165° F, it is cooked through and ready to eat, according to the USDA. If you let the chicken continue cooking as it climbs above this temperature, it can quickly dry out, and there’s no going back. With an instant-read thermometer, it’s easy to watch for that benchmark and pull the chicken off right away. No guesswork.

More helpful tips including using thin-sliced breasts, being sure the pan isn’t dry, and paying close attention while the chicken cooks. Truly thin-sliced chicken breasts cook very quickly and evenly, which is key to ensure that all portions are done at once. Use kitchen tongs to check each breast as it cooks, and flip as they turn a rich golden-brown on the underside and release easily from the pan.

How do I get a nice golden crust on my chicken breasts?

Two tips here: be sure your chicken breasts are seasoned evenly on both sides, and be certain that the pan and cooking oil is already hot when you place the chicken breasts in the skillet. This helps them to sear quickly on the bottom and delivers that appetizing golden crust.

How can I make this dish creamy?

Prefer a creamy lemon chicken pasta? add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, light cream, or half and half in place of the white wine.

Can I make this with seafood instead?

Yes! Skip the chicken and make the sauce as directed, adding these quick and easy garlic butter shrimp or some oven-roasted lemon herb salmon for a pescatarian-friendly protein.

What To Serve with Chicken Pasta

For an everyday dinner, pair this pasta dish with a simple salad or veggie: roasted asparagus or broccolini are two favorites. An Italian or everyday arugula salad go well, also. Having more of an event or feeding a crowd? It goes really well with breadsticks, garlic knots, or Texas toast.

This also can be served cold for a potluck dish that is a fun variant of chicken pasta salad. Just cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate everything together until ready to enjoy.

Storage & Reheating

• Storage: Leftovers keep very well for 3-4 days. Store in any airtight container in the refrigerator. (These are our favorite meal prep boxes!)
• Warming: Reheat at 50% power in the microwave to ensure the chicken doesn’t dry out. If reheating on the stovetop, add a small splash of water or chicken broth so the pasta doesn’t stick to the pan.
• I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as the texture would not be quite right once defrosted.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

Most of us are always looking for new ways to make chicken exciting for dinner – or at least less boring! Next, try this grilled lemon pepper chicken, honey mustard chicken skillet, creamy Tuscan chicken, garlic chicken, or balsamic chicken with spinach and mushrooms.

Love what a sprinkling of fresh herbs can do? Lemon thyme or lemon rosemary chicken are sure to please. Prefer dark meat? These chicken thighs marinated in lemon and garlic are always a hit.