Lemon Chicken Pasta

creamy lemon chicken pasta served on small white plate on wooden chopping board

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Creamy lemon pasta served with super crispy chicken - this is what comfort food is all about!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Western

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3.50 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging chicken)
Large Baking Tray & Wire Rack (for resting chicken)
Large Pan & Tongs
Large Pot (for cooking pasta)
Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels (for wiping out pan)
Wooden Spoon
Fine Cheese Grater
Jug (for stock)

Ingredients

Chicken

2x 225g/0.5lb Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp EACH: Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder
40g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
2 Eggs, beaten
65g / 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil, as needed (6-8 tbsp)

Pasta

400g / 14oz Linguine, or other long-cut pasta
4 tbsp / 60g Butter
2 Shallots, very finely diced
2 large cloves of Garlic, very finely diced
1 Lemon, zested then halved
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
120ml / 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
240ml / 1 cup Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
60g / 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
finely diced Fresh Parsley, to serve (optional)
an extra Lemon, sliced into wedges to serve (optional)

Instructions

Horizontally slice each chicken breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized chicken breasts.
In a small pot or bowl combine Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Line up 3 large shallow dishes: the first with flour + half of the seasoning mix, the second with beaten egg and the third with Panko breadcrumbs + the rest of the seasoning.
Dredge a piece of chicken through the flour, into the egg then finish in the breadcrumbs, thoroughly coating at each stage. Place on a tray to one side and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Place a large pan over medium-high and add enough oil to cover the base of the pan (6 or so tbsp should suffice). Once the oil is hot (around 3-5 minutes - a breadcrumb should rapidly sizzle) add in two pieces of chicken. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy on the outside and white through the centre, then place on a wire rack above a tray or kitchen roll to catch excess oil. Top up the pan with oil and repeat with the remaining chicken, then discard the leftover oil and wipe out the pan. If you can fit all four in at once then do that instead!
Place the pan back over medium heat and melt in the butter. Add the shallots and gently fry until soft and golden, then add in the lemon zest, garlic and 1/2 tsp pepper and fry for another minute or so. Stir in the chicken stock, cream and parmesan, then stir in the juice of the lemon. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce until it thickens, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust with salt (season generously to bring out the best in this simple sauce) then use tongs to transfer the pasta straight from the pot into the pan. Add in around 1/4 cup of the leftover pasta water and toss the pasta until the sauce thickens around and clings to it. Add in more pasta water to thin out the sauce if you need to (it will thicken quite quickly).
Serve the pasta next to chicken chicken, or slice the chicken and place on top. Sprinkle over parsley (optional) and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Lemon - I find the zest and juice of 1 lemon gives this pasta a good punch of flavour, but nothing overbearing. If you feel you want a little more lemon flavour feel free to squeeze more in.

b) Cream - Make sure you're using double (UK) heavy (US) cream. Anything thinner (single cream, half & half, milk etc) can curdle from the lemon juice.

c) Sauce seasoning - I find this sauce needs a generous amount of salt and pepper to highlight the simple flavours in the sauce. I'd definitely go for the 1/2 tsp pepper, as the spice balances out the sourness from the lemon and the richness from the cream. Work to taste with the salt (I typically end up with around 1/2 tsp).

d) Sauce consistency - It should take around 5-7 minutes for the sauce to simmer and thicken. As you toss in the pasta + pasta water it'll thin out a fair bit, but thickens up quite quickly, especially once plated up. If you add too much pasta water just continue tossing until the sauce re-thickens.

e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.

Nutrition