I love this super easy recipe for a Lemon Chicken Pasta Skillet. It is full of bright fresh flavors, and the meal comes together in just 30 minutes. Chicken breasts get combined with asparagus and fresh pasta in a light lemon sauce with a touch of creme fraiche. The result is a slightly creamy pasta dish that feels fancy but is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal.
This recipe is inspired by the chicken I make on lazy weeknights. I sear chicken in butter and then simmer it with lemon juice, white wine, and vegetable broth. I didn't have any white wine, but I had rosé, so I threw some in and it tasted great! Recently, instead of stopping at cooking chicken, I turned it into a complete meal by adding pasta and a veggie. I added chopped asparagus, but you could opt for broccoli instead. You could also add a bit of garlic or some toasted pine nuts. I just felt like keeping things really simple, because it was Monday and it had been a long day.
The chicken becomes really tender since it is quickly browned to lock in the juices, and then drowned in lemon juice, wine, and vegetable broth and simmered at a low temperature. It's a foolproof technique that guarantees you won't end up with dry chicken. I separately cooked the pasta in boiling water for just a minute, and then I simmer it in the sauce for another minute. (I used fresh tagliatelle in this recipe. Rana is my go-to brand of fresh pasta, I just think it tastes the freshest, plus it cooks in 2 minutes.)
The sauce is very light and it is loaded with lemon flavor and a touch of creaminess from the creme fraiche. It isn't a thick rich heavy sauce, which is why I love this recipe for summer.
This meal pairs perfectly with a glass of rosè! (But what doesn't?)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Thin Cut Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ⅓ cup Lemon Juice 1 ½ big Lemons - I used the extra ½ lemon for garnish
- ⅓ cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
- ¼ White Wine or Rosè
- 1 cup Chopped Asparagus
- ⅓ cup Creme Fraiche
- 2 tablespoons Parsley
- 1 pound Fresh Pasta
Instructions
- Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is hot and bubbly, add half of the chicken. Brown both sides of the chicken, this will take about 2 minutes per side. Remove the browned chicken from the skillet, melt the remaining butter, and brown the remaining chicken. Remove the second batch of chicken from the skillet, and set aside.
- Pour the lemon juice, broth, and wine into the skillet. Bring to a simmer, and add all of the chicken. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let cook for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil so that you can cook the pasta. Fresh tagliatelle will cook in just about 2 minutes. One minute before you pour the pasta into the water, add the asparagus to the pot with the chicken, and put the lid back on the skillet. Then pour the pasta into the water, and let it cook for 1 minute. You want to slightly undercook the pasta because you will simmer it in the sauce. Drain the pasta.
- Pour the pasta, creme fraiche, and parsley into the skillet (if you don't have room in the skillet, pour everything into the pot you used to boil the pasta). Stir, and let simmer for 1 minute. Serve immediately.
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