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Do you love crispy garlic chicken and buttery parmesan noodles in a fresh lemon cream sauce?? This quick and easy Crispy Lemon Chicken Pasta is one of our favorite chicken and pasta recipes!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

I love the combo of light angel hair pasta and fresh creamy lemon sauce. And the crispy garlic chicken is the cherry on top! It’s so easy to make for a weeknight dinner, and all you need are a few fresh and simple ingredients. If you love lemon, chicken and pasta recipes make this for dinner tonight!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Pasta

Here’s all you’ll need: pasta, lemon, butter, chicken, cream, flour, grated parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Start by cooking the pasta according to the package directions. Then drain and set aside. I love angel hair pasta with this sauce, but it would be great with pretty much any kind of pasta! Penne, rotini, fettuccine, shells, you name it!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Place the chicken between two layers of wax paper and pound to even thickness. You’re not trying to get them too thin, just so that they’re even and flat. Then generously season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Generously coat each side of the chicken with flour.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Like so.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

When the butter is hot and starts to turn brown, add the chicken.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Lemon Sauce for Chicken

Next you’ll need the zest and juice of one lemon.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

One lemon is about 2 tablespoons of juice. If you want to skip the zest and just used bottled lemon juice, that’s totally fine too.

Now in the same pan that you cooked the chicken, melt 1/4 cup butter.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

When the butter is foamy, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Add the cream and bring to a simmer.

Add the lemon zest and juice and whisk to combine. The sauce should start to thicken.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Whisk in the parmesan cheese until smooth and melted.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Add the pasta to a plate, then top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

This simple Lemon Chicken Pasta is a huge hit! The sauce is ultra creamy with a decadent butter and light lemon flavor. The lemon is not too strong, but you can definitely tell it’s there. It’s the perfect amount when paired with the crispy chicken, fresh pasta, and parmesan cheese. It’s one of our favorite chicken pasta dishes!

Lemon Chicken Pasta
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Lemon Chicken Pasta

Lemon Chicken Pasta

  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 5 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Pasta

Description

Chicken and angel hair pasta in a creamy lemon parmesan sauce.
Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 oz angel hair pasta
  •  1 lb chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2-inch thick
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1/2 teaspoon pepper
  •  1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  •  1/4 cup flour
  •  2 tablespoons butter

Lemon Sauce For Chicken

  •  4 tablespoons butter
  •  3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  •  1 cup heavy whipping cream
  •  2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  •  zest of 1 lemon
  •  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Season chicken generously on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Then dredge chicken in flour until coated on all sides.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When butter is hot and starts to turn brown, add the chicken and cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
  3. In the same skillet, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. When melted and foamy, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk to combine. Add the parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth and melted.
  4. Plate the pasta and top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!!

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96 Responses
  1. Mel

    My family loved this recipe. I substituted the salt and garlic powder with Wegman’s lemon and rosemary spice instead. Turned out great! Will definitely make this recipe again because: 1. It’s easy to make and 2. Yummy!






  2. Lindsey

    This has become a staple recipe in our household. My 5 kids and husband all love it and that’s a rarity. I double the sauce because I always double sauces. Since we have it so often I try to make it slightly healthier by skipping the breading, I just season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and sauté in avocado oil and will substitute spaghetti squash occasionally. I’ve shared the recipe on my FB as well and anyone who’s tried it lives it also. Thanks for this yummy new staple!!






  3. Linni

    This recipe tastes amazing. My husband said it is better than going to a restaurant. The amount of lemon flavor is perfect. Thank you!






  4. Rachelle

    This is a beautiful dish. I made it last night because I really wanted it, but my family loved it as well. I had chicken thighs, so that is what I used. I did think the sauce needed some more flavor so I added a touch of white pepper, black pepper and crushed red pepper, as I do all of my cream sauces. I will definitely make this again, but it doesn’t feed 5 in my house. I would definitely double the sauce next time. The lemon is delicious and it’s just the right amount. I served it with roasted broccoli with lemon zest.






    1. Melody Cooke

      This was very good and I had everything in my kitchen already.
      Only thing I was missing was heavy cream, but I subbed it with whole milk and it still came out amazing!






  5. Lori Vaclavik

    Just made this and it’s fabulous! Perfect served on angel hair pasta with steamed broccoli. I followed the recipe exactly. No modifications needed.

  6. Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner

    I made this for dinner tonight and we loved it!  The only change I did was to sauté some leeks before adding the garlic.  This is a keeper!

  7. Boo

    The recipe was good however, the sauce turned out slightly granular due to the grated cheese. I am going to try it again with a parmesan wedge grated myself. My experience with parmesan in the past, I find it blends and melts better. Thanks for the great recipe!

  8. Erin

    Make this, pretty easy. I like lemon but this was a bit too much for me. It wasn’t bad bite with chicken and noodles. Will try it again! Thanks!

  9. Allison

    I made this tonight and it was really good. The only thing I changed was that I used spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Definitely will be making this again, soon! Thanks for sharing :) 

  10. Michele

    Im back!!! I love kevin and Amanda recipes…. All the dishes are Amazing… And u will find the ingredients in your kitchen. I love this site!!! Thie dishes are Faboulous!!!!! 5 Stars…..

  11. Angelica

    I’ve made this before, but instead of butter for frying the chicken try EVOO, better for you. Yes butter makes a great sauce and I did add that to the cream sauce. Also can be made with chicken tenders.

  12. Jane Mudie

    Tried this dish recently, it is now a ” can we please have that chicken & lemon dish tonight” favourite. Yum & easy! Thanks for the inspiration.

  13. Kalpana

    Hello Amanda ! Thank you for sharing this delicious crispy lemon chicken pasta recipe. Can I use vegetable oil/ olive oil instead of butter ? Thanks and waiting for your reply

    1. Steve Maskery

      You certainly can use oil, go ahead. The butter does add a nice flavour though.

      I do a very similar recipe, but I marinate my chicken first in lemon juice and flaked chillies, for about half an hour. Recipes like this scale down well if you are cooking for one, as well.

  14. Tiffani

    This dish is a,new house favorite. I doubled the recipe and used chicken breast chunks. I didn’t sCream so I used fat free half n half and some milk. Fantastic !!

  15. Tricia

    I’ve made this twice now. The first time, I sort or burned it because I recently moved to a new house with an electric stove. I never in my 45 years cooked with electric until I moved here, and it’s harder to regulate the heat. Anyway, even though I messed it up, it still tasted good. I love anything lemon. My husband isn’t as big a fan, but I knew I had him when he tried it and said I should make it again. So I did tonight, without burning it, and it was delicious! This is definitely going in the rotation. I finally have a lemony recipe that my husband and I both love!

  16. Anja

    Super Bericht , und einfach Klasse zum Nachmachen!

    Sowas habe ich echt noch nie gesehen.
    Ich freue mich jeden tag aufs neue hier vorbei zu schauen und was nach zu kochen. Danke nochmal aus Deutschland. Thank you sooo much!
    Best regards Anja

  17. Madena

    This recipe is so fabulous! I made it for my boyfriend and he is obsessed! Such a delicious light creamy sauce with the added freshness of lemons. Thank you for sharing this splendid recipe!

  18. Clair

    I made this tonight. It was amazing! Im not great at cooking and the family is picky but everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe

  19. Lindsay

    I never leave comments but I was so amazed by how delicious this came out I had to. I didn’t put as much lemon juice/zest as it said and it was the right amount for us. It got better with every bite and sadly no leftovers ??

  20. Beverly

    All purpose or self rising flour? I find that self rising browns too quickly but tastes better – which did you use? Also the butter measurements seem to be off?

  21. Charley

    We made this Wed. night and it was delishous! So quick & easy thanks to your pix and hints. We’re going to make everything on the 2015 Favorites list. I can’t wait!

    Everything always turns out perfectly. We don’t want to go out to eat anymore!

  22. Paula @ Frosted Fingers

    I made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing! The kids ate it all without complaining and I may have had more than I should have!

  23. Destiny

    I made this for dinner this evening and it was heavenly! When the sauce was done I poured it into a dish, put the pasta in the skillet and poured half of the sauce over the pasta and tossed. Then plated the sauced noodles, fanned out one of the sliced chicken breasts and drizzled some of the remainimg sauce over the chicken. Garnished with chopped fresh parsley. Yummm.

  24. Aimee

    I made this over the weekend and it was a hit with everyone. The sauce was a little thick so I just added a little milk to thin it out. My kids have never liked any lemon flavored food but they loved this…said it was even better than regular Alfredo sauce

  25. Dana

    I made this last night and thought it was really good, though i found the sauce to be very thick- i may halve the heavy cream next time and sub in chicken broth in its place. Otherwise, very good!

  26. Amber

    Thank you so much for the recipe!! I just made it tonight and was DELICIOUS.
    For people that don’t love lemon as much as I do: the zest and lemon juice might be a little too much for the average person. Myself being a lemon lover, I thought it was just the right amount of lemon flavor & smell!!

  27. Kristie

    just noticed this…..The recipe calls for 5 tbsp of butter, but when you read the directions steps 2 & 3 total up to 6 tbsp of butter.

  28. Maura

    This was so tasty! My husband devoured it and he claimed he didn’t like lemon chicken bc of how his mother made it. But it was light enough that he gave it a try and now he wants it on regular rotation. Thank you!

  29. Sara

    This sounds delicious! Phew do you prevent the chicken from browning too much on the outside before cooking through? I love the taste of butter, but I always seem to have that problem when I try to brown chicken in just butter with no oil. Maybe I’m not pounding my chicken thin enough? Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Rochelle

      I added a touch of olive oil to it. It helped to keep it from getting too brown. If you like fish try it using Talapia, wonderful!

  30. Karen

    5 out of 5 stars. My husband said it was excellent. I will make it fo my parents next time they are over. Went beautifully with Riesling.

  31. Katelyn

    This meal is by far the easiest and tastiest meals I have made in a long time. My husband’s palate…if you wan’t to call it that…is like one of a college bachelor. Meat, cheese and anything wrapped up in a tortilla. I made this the other week and again this last Tuesday and he keeps requesting for more!! Definitely a winner in this household!! This ones going in the book for sure!! Thank you SO much Amanda for sharing. Your recipes are becoming fast favorites here!

    Katelyn, MN

  32. David & Anne Paggi

    This is incredibly fabulouso!!! I found your website while googling “Lemon Chicken”. When I saw the word “Crispy” in the name of your recipe, I knew I’d found the one we’d use for dinner. My husband actually made the recipe and it turned out divine. He’s very ADD so for those of you that are thinking this is complicated, think again. My husband was so grateful for the pics & details that you provided. The only negative is that our 13 & 18 year old boys didn’t like it. The lemon was just too much for them. Oh well, they can hot dogs the next time that we make it, ha, cause there will definitely be a next time and then some! Thanx Kevin & Amanda for sharing.
    ??,:*:? ^?^)/ ?:*?°?* David & Anne of Chas. SC

  33. Carrie

    I made this for dinner last night. It was absolutely Delicious! Even my picky husband loved it. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!

  34. Aimee Beck

    I’m going to be honest. I made this last night for dinner, and loved it so much that I am sitting here eating it for breakfast too. This was SO DELICIOUS! Honestly, amazing. Bravo!

  35. Susan aka suslyn

    So sorry you were hacked!! What a huge amount of work to get it all restored!! This recipe looks great even to me, and I don’t do chicken. Thanks for sharing.

  36. Stacey

    I literally just drooled when I saw this recipe! Reminds me of a dish at Cheesecake Factory that I love. Can’t wait to make it! BTW – I’m trying your Ham & Cheese Gnocchi tonight. ;)

  37. Shawn @ I Wash You Dry

    This looks so amazing! I love that you combined a brown butter with a creamy lemon sauce! I am definitely putting this one on the menu.

  38. Jessica @ Golden Brown and Delicious

    I love how light and totally refreshing this sounds. Cream sauce is usually so heavy, but I bet the lemon and the angel hair pasta really keep it from being weighed down.

  39. Holly N @ Spend With Pennies

    Been thinking of you all weekend! So happy to see this new delicious recipe up today! Looks just amazing! I’ve pinned it and it’s going on my menu!

  40. Aimee @ ShugarySweets

    I have been sick for you all weekend. I love that you just hop back in the saddle with this gorgeous pasta dish. Shared everywhere my friend…and it’s going on our menu too :) HUGS!!

  41. April Boller

    I’m not sure if my comment went through on your other blog because I kept having issues commenting but this looks great, I’m putting it on my to do list for sure. Sorry to hear about your other site :(

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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