Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta With Garlic and Parmesan

This Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal. The decadent cream sauce is flavored with lemon zest, garlic, white wine, and Parmesan. It’s all topped with crispy, juicy chicken breasts encrusted with breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoning, and Parmesan.

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What Type of Pasta to Use

I love to use fettuccine because it’s wider than most pasta types and more hearty. It’s made for thicker sauces like alfredo and Bolognese, thinner pasta struggles to hold the sauce. But, if you are looking to make this pasta for leftovers and like a creamy sauce within your reheated pasta, fettuccine may not be the best option for you.

Because fettuccini is thick it literally drinks up the sauce. The sauce penetrates into the pasta, which is actually what I like about it. You can taste the flavor of the sauce in the pasta. But when you go to reheat the pasta, it may appear drier than when you first made it.

If you’ve ever gotten fettuccini alfredo for take-out or brought home leftovers from a restaurant you probably know what I mean. When you reheat the pasta it isn’t as creamy as it was originally and it’s a little oily (from the butter or oil used in the cream sauce), but all of the flavor is still there! So this is something to consider.

Feel free to use what you wish. If you’re looking to make this for leftovers spaghetti, linguine, and penne are my favorites to use.

Here’s a general list of pasta options:

• Fettuccine
• Penne
• Linguine
• Spaghetti
• Farfalle
• Rotini
• Rigatoni
• Campanelle

What Type of Chicken to Use

I prefer to use chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs with no modifications to the recipe. For added flavor, I like to serve the chicken crisp with a crust using breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Feel free to sear your chicken in a pan without the breadcrumbs and crust if you prefer.

I use a pound of chicken breasts, which is typically 2 large size breasts. I like thick strips of chicken so I leave the breasts intact. If you like thin strips of chicken, slice your chicken breasts in half (horizontally) to create 4 cutlets. When cooked, slice your chicken into strips.

How to Make the Cream Sauce

You will need butter, heavy whipping cream (you can substitute any milk, but the texture won’t be the same), dry white wine (optional for flavor), a lemon, and Parmesan Reggiano cheese. I buy a fresh block of authentic Parmesan Reggiano cheese and grate it myself. It truly makes a difference and adds so much flavor to the dish.

Lemon Flavor

I use fresh lemons for the lemon flavor. Decide what level of lemony flavor you want. If you want a hint of lemon flavor (and not much), start with 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and no zest.

If you want lemon flavor, but not a ton, start with 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

For immense lemon flavor, I recommend 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. You can add more of either of these if you really want even more lemon flavor.

Lemon juice alone won’t provide much flavor. Most of the flavor comes from the zest. Whenever you are making a recipe for the first time, your focus should be on making it to suit your taste. Start with a little lemon juice and a little lemon zest, taste repeatedly, and build from there. Once you add something you can’t take it back, but you can always add more if necessary.

How to Zest a Lemon

I use this lemon zester from Amazon. You can also use a box/cheese grater. If using the zester hold it one hand and the lemon in the other. Graze the lemon over it, away from you and back and forth. You can read more about How to Zest a Lemon here.

Can You Add Veggies?

Absolutely! In fact, I often hear from readers that they prefer pasta recipes because it’s so easy to add veggies. Here are some options.

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Red Peppers
• Green Peppers
• Asparagus

How to Make Lemon Chicken Pasta

Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Cook the pasta in accordance with the instructions on the package.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl large enough to dredge the chicken breasts. Stir to combine.
3. Place an egg in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken. Beat the egg.
4. Dip the chicken in the egg and then the breadcrumbs mixture.
5. Sear or air fry the chicken.
6. Place a skillet or pot on medium heat and add butter. When melted, add garlic and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
7. Pour in heavy cream, white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Parmesan and stir until combined.
8. Add veggies and cooked pasta.

What Type of Pot or Pan to Use

You can make this a one-pot recipe (plus air fryer if you are air frying your chicken). I recommend this 7-quart Dutch oven. It’s large enough to cook the pasta in and it can withhold the higher heat necessary for the recipe. If you want to make this using one pot, grab one that’s large enough and retains heat well.

How to Store

You can store the pasta tightly sealed and covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

How to Reheat

The best way to reheat the dish for leftovers is to keep the sauce separate from the pasta until you’re ready to eat it again. If you’ve already combined the pasta and the sauce, you can also add a little milk to your leftovers and reheat them in the microwave or on the stove to get a little bit of the creaminess back.

Freezer Tips

You can freeze the dish tightly covered and sealed up to 2 months. With pasta, the faster you eat it after freezing, the better the texture and consistency. Since this dish has dairy, when you reheat you will notice separation. This is normal. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

Pair With These Recipes

Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Asparagus
Broccoli Salad
Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

More Pasta Recipes

Southern Chicken Spaghetti
Ground Beef Pasta with Alfredo
Seafood Stuffed Shells
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Southern Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese
Seafood Mac and Cheese
Lobster Mac and Cheese
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
Spaghetti with Sausage

You may also enjoy our Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe.