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creamy lemon chicken pasta on a plate, top shot
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

This creamy lemon chicken pasta is a comfort food your whole family will adore. Pasta and chunks of chicken in a rich, velvety, luscious lemony cream sauce!
Course Chicken Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Chicken Pasta Recipes, Creamy Lemon Chicken Recipes, Lemon Chicken Recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 923kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2  pounds chicken tenderloins,  cut into 1-inch chunks

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup shallots, minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 4 ounces cream cheese cubed, and at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pasta:

  • 8 ounces ziti
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water

Serving:

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
  • crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

Cook Chicken:

  • Season chicken pieces (1 1/2 pounds) generously with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add half the chicken in a single layer, and cook without stirring, until one side is browned about 2 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil as needed.
    How to make creamy lemon chicken pasta, brown the chicken
  • Melt butter (2 tablespoons) in the same skillet then saute shallots (1/3 cup) and garlic (2 teaspoons) over medium-low heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan as veggies cook to lift up the brown bits from cooking the chicken.
    How to make lemon chicken pasta, sauteing aromatics
  • Sprinkle flour (2 tablespoons) over vegetables and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute.
    How to make creamy lemon garlic chicken pasta, adding flour
  • Remove the pan from heat and slowly whisk in cream (1 1/2 cups) until smooth. Stir in lemon juice (1/4 cup) and lemon zest (2 teaspoons).
    How to make italian lemon chicken pasta, adding heavy cream
  • Cook pasta (8 ounces) according to package instructions in well-salted water. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain.
  • Return the skillet to medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and stir cream cheese (4 ounces), salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon), and simmer gently until cheese is melted.
    How to make creamy lemon pasta, adding cream cheese
  • Add the pasta to the sauce and toss until evenly coated. Thin out sauce, as needed, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time (you likely won't use the whole 1 cup).
  • Garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes and serve.

Notes

  1. Pasta Water: Reserving the pasta cooking water, before draining the pasta,  is an old restaurant trick. You can stir in the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce without it becoming too thin. It also helps the sauce cling to the pasta.
  2. Tossing The Pasta With Lemon Cream Sauce: If you make the sauce in a large enough skillet you can likely toss a pound of cooked pasta with the finished sauce. If you’re worried about it all fitting in the skillet, just toss it in the dried-out large pot the pasta was cooked in.
  3. Lemon Juice: Here’s a lemon juice trick I use. Buy lemons in bulk when they’re on sale, then juice them and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. That way you have fresh lemon juice on hand whenever you need it!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 923kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 253mg | Sodium: 656mg | Potassium: 979mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2001IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 2mg