How to Prepare Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

Making the creamy lemon sauce

The addition of lemon juice and zest gives the typically heavy cream sauce a welcome light and fresh flavor. It makes the greatest lemon alfredo sauce when combined with butter, a bit of fresh garlic, and grated parmesan cheese.

Feel free to add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice and lemon zest if you want lemon-flavored sauces. Lemon zest is more concentrated than lemon juice, so start with smaller amounts.

Start by melting the butter in your pan or skillet to make the sauce. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to create a thick roux. Add the garlic, chicken stock, and lemon juice after the roux has cooked for about 30 seconds. Mix thoroughly by whisking to gradually incorporate the cream and lemon zest. Let the mixture simmer for a minute or two before adding the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and turn off the heat.

Tips for making creamy lemon chicken pasta

Always salt the water with about 1-2 tablespoons of salt whenever you cook pasta as it helps flavor the pasta as it cooks.

Remember to save and set aside at least 1-2 cups of boiling pasta water before draining the pasta. If needed, use it later to thin your sauce.

You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breasts, or chicken thighs for this recipe.

For this recipe, you can use spaghetti or macaroni pasta of any kind.

For greater overall flavor and to keep the spaghetti from clumping, use freshly grated parmesan cheese rather than the powdered kind.

Once the parmesan has been incorporated into the sauce, don't forget to remove it from the heat right away. After the cheese has been added, letting the sauce come to a boil could lead to a curdled, gritty sauce.

Use heavy cream that is full-fat. As it cools, the sauce will get thicker yet. The best approach to thin out your sauce is to gradually add 1/4 cup at a time of salted pasta water.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

225 g pasta of choice

4 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 cloves garlic - minced

½ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley to garnish

Procedure

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until for about 2-3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on package directions.

Melt the butter in a sizable 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat as the pasta boils.

Sprinkle the melted butter with the flour and use a whisk to combine to form a thick paste. Cook the paste for about 30 seconds, stirring often.

Add the minced garlic, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Whisk continuously as it comes to a gentle simmer then allow it to bubble for about 30 seconds.

As you continue to whisk, gradually incorporate the cream and lemon zest into the flour mixture.

Turn down the heat to medium-low after bringing it to a moderate simmer. For about 2 minutes, or when it has slightly thickened, cook over medium-low heat.

Add the shredded chicken and parmesan cheese after stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste then remove from the heat.

Reserve at least 1 cup of hot pasta water before draining the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.

Add some of the reserved pasta water to the pan, if the sauce becomes too thick as the starch from the pasta thickens the sauce.

Serve with additional grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley as a garnish, if desired, and season with additional salt, pepper, and lemon zest to taste.

Serve and enjoy immediately.