Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

Creamy lemon chicken pasta is one of our newest favorites.  Lemon zest imparts bright citrus flavor which is perfectly balanced by the Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce.  Simple seared chicken adds additional taste and texture, plus the addition of egg yolks at the end takes this from creamy to luxurious in a matter of seconds.  Bookmark this recipe – it’s sure to be one you use again and again!

Who doesn’t love a good cream sauce?

I’m always looking for ways to add, tweak, or improve some of the tried and true.

This creamy lemon chicken pasta is a riff on the more traditional pasta al limone, which is delicious in its own right.

We’ve added chicken here for a heartier meal, but my favorite addition is the egg yolks.

Added just at the end, the egg yolks contribute to the already silky texture and help the sauce cling to the pasta (and chicken) ensuring that every bite is full of creamy, cheesy flavor.  

A bit like carbonara, but with lemons and chicken instead of guanciale!

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Bring a large pot of salted (2 tablespoons of kosher salt per gallon) water to boil.  Zest 2 lemons and grate 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Edit:  In the picture below you’ll see lemon juice but it is not needed for this recipe.  
2. Fillet and pound the chicken breasts until flat.  Dry them well with paper towels, then season on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat a stainless steel or cast iron pan to medium heat and wait 3 minutes.  Coat the pan with olive oil and add the chicken to the pan.  Sear the chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through (about 6-7 minutes total).  Work in batches to not overcrowd the pan.  Place the cooked chicken on a clean cutting board and cover with tented foil.  

3. Begin to cook your pasta to 1 minute less than al dente.  While that’s cooking, heat a large clean pan to medium-low heat and add the butter and half the lemon zest. 
4. Once the butter is melted, add the cream and cheese and bring to a simmer.  The sauce will begin to thicken after a few minutes of simmering.  
5. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add a 1/2 cup of pasta water and the chicken to the sauce and continue to cook over moderate heat while waiting for the pasta to finish cooking. 
6. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix or toss to coat.  Cook until just al dente.  If the pasta is too dry, add some more of the reserved pasta water a little at a time to get a perfect consistency.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and wait 30 seconds.  Add the egg yolks and mix rapidly or toss to coat and emulsify.  Note: The reason to wait 30 seconds is to not scramble the eggs once the yolks hit a too-hot pan.  Once you add the yolks, mix or toss immediately!
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the remaining zest divided onto each plate and more Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy!

Top tips for Creamy Pasta with Lemon and Chicken

• The chicken.  I used thick-cut chicken breasts for this recipe because they are more economical.  It only takes a few minutes to fillet and pound them thin.  If you prefer less work, you can definitely purchase the thin-sliced cutlets but they will be more expensive.  The trick to making juicy chicken is to sear them to just 160f (I prefer a stainless steel pan) and not overcrowd the pan.  Then, let them rest before slicing.  
• The sauce.  Be sure that when you start your sauce you use a clean pan.  We don’t want the brown bits from the chicken as it will take away from the clean lemon flavor and silky texture of the sauce.  Note: I feel the need to address this from people thinking you always need to make a sauce by deglazing.  Sometimes you don’t want to do that.
• The pasta.  I used one of my favorite pasta shapes for cream sauce, paccheri.  It’s similar in shape and size to the chunks of chicken and it holds up to the cream sauce perfectly.  If you can’t find paccheri, you can use rigatoni or penne, or fettuccine or pappardelle would also work well.
• The egg yolks.  The egg yolks are optional in this recipe, but I feel that they add another dimension to this pasta and intensify the silky/custardy texture.  If you choose to add them, make sure you remove the pan from the heat and wait 30-45 seconds (so you don’t get scrambled eggs) before adding them.  Then mix rapidly, or toss to emulsify and coat the pasta.

More creamy pasta recipes

If you love creamy pastas as much as I do, check out some of my other favorites:

• Pasta alla Norcina – Sausage, white wine, and cream with a touch of nutmeg.
• Chicken Alfredo pasta – Blackened chicken and pasta tossed in a butter and Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce.
• Penne al Baffo – Pasta and ham tossed in a creamy pink sauce.
• Mushroom Brandy Cream Sauce – Mushrooms and pasta tossed in a brandy and tomato-based cream sauce.

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