Want healthy meals your kids will love?

Insanely Good Lemon Chicken Pasta

20 Comments

This Lemon Chicken Pasta is packed with flavor and is next-level delicious. With an incredible blend of seasonings, fresh herbs, and tangy lemon, it’s a pasta dish you’ll come back to again and again.

Pasta and chicken topped with shredded parmesan, fresh parsley, and lemon slices in a white serving bowl.

Why We Love This Lemon Chicken Pasta

If you are looking for an easy, downright delicious dinner idea.. you’ve come to the right place. This Lemon Chicken Pasta has been one that my kids have loved for years. The flavor is totally unique. The chicken is marinated in soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, and a slew of yummy seasonings. Then the final dish is tossed in a fresh herby mixture and topped with grated parmesan. It’s so bright and flavorful… I just know you’re going to love it as much as we do. Plus it’s impressive enough for entertaining, but simple enough for weeknight dinners.

And it comes together pretty fast, too! Dice up the chicken and get it marinating in the morning. Then once it is time to cook dinner, you can get the whole thing on the table in under 20 minutes. And is there anything better than an amazing dinner that you can get on the table in less time than it takes to run through the drive-thru? Maybe a personal chef. But until that day comes.. this is a really close second.

Lemon chicken pasta in a large serving bowl, twisted around a gold fork.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Lemon Chicken Pasta:

For the Pasta:

  • Linguine– this hearty pasta holds up well to the super flavorful sauce. Spaghetti noodles would also work.
  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon– You’ll use the juice and the zest for this recipe!
  • Green Onions
  • Fresh Parsley
  • Parmesan Cheese– You’ll want to use shredded Parmesan cheese, not grated.
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

For the Marinade:

  • Olive Oil
  • Soy Sauce– I always use low-sodium soy sauce.
  • Lemon Juice– You’ll want to make sure to use fresh lemon juice in this recipe!
  • Fresh Garlic Cloves
  • Brown Sugar
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Salt
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Black Pepper
  • Dried Thyme
Ingredients needed to make insanely good lemon chicken pasta

How to Make this Insanely Delicious Lemon Chicken Pasta Dish:

  1. Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, fresh garlic, brown sugar, and seasonings. Set aside.
  2. Prep the chicken. Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces. Place in a ziplock bag (or shallow bowl) and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or for up to 12 hours. The longer it sits the more tender and flavorful your chicken will be!
  3. Mix up the herbs for the pasta. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sliced green onions, and minced parsley.
  4. Cook the pasta. Boil a large pot of water. Cook pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
  5. Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken along with the marinade to the preheated pan. Spread in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
  6. Toss everything together. Pour the cooked chicken and marinade over the drained pasta along with the lemon and herb mixture. Toss everything together, then toss with fresh parmesan cheese. Taste and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper if desired. Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges; serve immediately.
Process shots showing how to make lemon chicken pasta.

Tips & Suggestions

How do you jazz up boring pasta?

Pasta makes a regular appearance on dinner tables across the country for good reason. It’s fast, easy, economical, and can be prepared in countless different ways. But it can run the risk of getting boring. This recipe is anything but. The seasoning mix has a cajun spice flavor that gives the whole thing a flavorful heat. The soy sauce brings a nice umami flavor, and then the whole thing is brightened up with fresh herbs and tangy lemon juice.

What do you serve with Lemon Chicken Pasta?

I like to serve this pasta with a green veggie or nice salad. Here are some of my favorites:

Variations and Substitutions

Use fresh shrimp or salmon instead of chicken. If using shrimp, only marinate for about 30 minutes. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until pink and opaque.

If desired, you can use 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning in place of the seasoning mixture in the recipe. If you want extra heat, you can also add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

You can use a variety of different pasta for this recipe. Fettuccini, linguini, or spaghetti are our favorites. But you could also make it with a short pasta like bowtie or ziti.

How should I store leftovers?

Store leftover lemon chicken pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

A bowl of insanely good lemon chicken pasta in a white bowl with a green linen in the background.
A twirl of pasta noodles on a brass fork being lifted from a bowl of chicken and pasta.

Looking for More Delicious Pasta Recipes?

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
3.8 from 73 votes

Tangy Lemon Chicken Pasta

This Lemon Chicken Pasta is packed with flavor and is next-level delicious. With an incredible blend of seasonings, fresh herbs, and tangy lemon, it's a pasta dish you'll come back to again and again.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating1 hour
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 416kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

Pasta

Instructions

  • For the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, brown sugar, and seasonings. Whisk to combine.
  • Cut the chicken into strips or bite-sized pieces. Put the chicken into a shallow bowl or ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or for up to 12 hours.
  • For the pasta: Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, green onions, and parsley in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to package directions. Drain, and return the pasta to the pot. Pour the lemon juice/green onion mixture over the pasta and toss to combine.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and the marinade to the skillet. Spread out into an even layer and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Add the chicken and cooked marinade over the pasta and toss everything together. Add the fresh parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 614mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword : lemon chicken pasta

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

Leave a Comment:
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




20 Comments

Instead of Greek Yogurt ( since my local grocery doesn’t carry it) I used Sour cream. Also ( same grocery store) didn’t have sun dried tomatoes so I instead used canned diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano. It turned out absolutely amazing!! Family ate every bit of it! This is definitely going down into the cookbook! Thanks so much!

This was surprisingly amazing! I used an extra cup of stock and swapped sundries tomatoes for spinach and also added some garlic. Even my VERY picky husband enjoyed this! Yum!

5 stars
Chris and the girls liked it. Chris wanted more parm cheese. he liked the sauce (the greek yogurt). Next time cook the pasta seperate (in the broth) so that it doesn’t fall apart) in the big pot.

4 stars
This is so easy to make and I’ve received many compliments. The grandkids like it. I use boneless chicken thighs. Much better flavor. And a good chicken stock. The tomatoes are a nice pop of color but I prefer artichokes.

5 stars
thank you so much for this recipe. I replaced the Greek yogurt with a heavy cooking cream, I also replace the broccoli with diced up zucchini. Just worked with what I had in the fridge. Mmmmmm