This delicious Lemon Chicken Pasta was originally known by the name “really good noodles and chicken.” And that name is very accurate. This dish is really good. Grilled lemon chicken over a bed of lemon pasta, a dish everyone in your family will love.
Today’s lemon chicken pasta recipe, and the original name really good noodles and chicken, comes from a blog reader, Heidi. It was her kids that named it! And I have to say that my family agrees that this is Really Good Noodles and Chicken!
Not being a fan of heavy cream sauces, the light lemon flavored sauce in this dish is just right. And the addition of bacon, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese makes this a dish that everyone enjoys.
The honey, rosemary and lemon grilled chicken compliments the lemon pasta perfectly. But I wouldn’t limit this chicken to just this recipe. This chicken would be wonderful on its own or on a salad too.
Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta
This dish is perfect for those nights when you need easy and delicious. You can even grill up the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. When I am grilling chicken I like to pound the chicken thinner so it grills faster and more evenly. I just place it between two pieces of wax paper and use a the smooth side of a meat tenderizer. Then just sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Then I paste it with honey and lemon as it is grilling.
While the chicken is grilling just cook your pasta. The sauce is just combination of butter, garlic, bacon and cream and of course a little lemon juice and zest. You may find that your cream curdles a bit when you add in the lemon juice and zest, don’t worry, just keep stirring and it will come together. Pour the sauce over the pasta, add in the chicken some fresh tomato and Parmesan cheese and you’ve got dinner!
Give this dish a try. You will agree it is really good. Really, really good!
And then check out some of our other really good pasta dishes.
Some of my favorite kitchen tools to make LEMON CHICKEN PASTA:
SILICONE BASTING BRUSH – this brush is perfect for basting meat or brushing melted butter on things. It is heat resistant and can be washed in the dishwasher.
MICROPLANE ZESTER– this is the perfect tool for zesting lemons or limes. I use mine on a daily and weekly basis.
PASTA POT – perfect for cooking pasta or steaming vegetables
Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breast boneless, skinless
- coarse salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 T fresh rosemary minced
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 3 T. honey
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti I prefer Barilla Plus
- 2 T. butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 3 roma tomatoes seeds and core removed, diced
- 2 T. capers optional
Instructions
- Start a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta
- Spray your BBQ grill rack with nonstick spray and fire it up
- Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on each chicken breast and grill for 7-8 minutes on the first side
- In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the honey together, then brush it on the tops of the chicken breasts before flipping them over
- Brush the underside as well, and grill for a few more minutes until they are cooked through (actual cooking time will depend on how thick the breast is, and you could certainly pound them thinner to start with to make it go faster).
- Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm
- Toss your noodles into the boiling salted water if you haven't already
- Once they are nearly done cooking, begin making the sauce
- It comes together quickly. In a large skillet, melt 2 T. butter then add the garlic
- Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon bits and cook for another minute
- Stir in the remaining lemon juice and all of the zest, then the cream
- Stir in the cooked and drained noodles, adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce
- Slice the chicken breasts thinly
- Stir in the roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese (and capers if you so desire - I'm the only one that likes them around here, so I tossed a few on my own plate), and serve immediately with a portion of chicken breast strips on top of the pile of pasta
Nutrition
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Originally Posted April, 2009
I don’t see lemon in the ingredients other than 2 T for the chicken. How much for the pasta sauce?
Debbie, sorry about that – the recipe has been updated.
Sounds really good. Thank you.
We just made this and it was a hit with the whole family. Definitely going to put this into the rotation. 🙂 Thanks!
I saw this in your newsletter today for lemony goodness. I’ve marked it to make, because I know you’ve got some delicious recipes here so it has to be good. I’ve made the penne rustica already. I’m always looking for new chicken recipes too. Thanks!
I made this last week and my family LOVED it!!! There was no talking for a long time- everyone was eating- even the little one. The first thing my husband said was- “Yes, you should make this again!” Thank you for another great recipe!
This recipe sounds so yummy!
Yum! Yum! Thanks for sharing. I ahve a whole folder now of recipes to try when I have someone to cook for–just 2 months and 5 days. . . . .
This looks fantastic – definitely a meal my family would love!
This is definitely on my menu for tonight!!! I’ve got everything I need.
Also…just finished Franz Wisner’s new book – How the World Makes Love – and what a winner it is! I guarantee you will laugh and even look at how you love. I think I’m giving a copy to all of my college age grandkids, hoping Franz’ experiences will help them make good choices in mates.
P. S. Although I’d give this kind of review anyway, in the interest of transparency, I’ve known Franz since he was knee-high – his folks and I are good friends, lived on the same street for years.
:)!! What a fun surprise this morning! Glad you liked it. I make variations of this all the time, and every now and then I hit the perfect combination. This is one of those. Now I need to make it again so that I can actually post a picture with it since if I remember right, my baby hid my camera that day.
Ha! I live in Northern NY and we are getting about 6 inches of snow today. Boo!
Wow, that looks wonderful! Looks like a perfect dish for the warm weather we are finally enjoying.
Yeah for Nurse Heidi!!! We love all of her recipes!
that does look really good.