Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta Recipe

overhead of a white plate with lemon pasta in it and a silver fork

This Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta makes a great, easy, inexpensive meal for the family; just perfect for weeknight dinners. The juicy crispy lemon pepper chicken is served on a bed of lemon pasta, with enough pepper to make it interesting but mild enough for kids. It is quick to make, delicious to eat and is sure to be a hit! Plus if served with a side salad or some roasted veg, then one chicken breast will be enough to serve a family of 4!

4.34 from 83 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 634 kcal

Ingredients

For the Pasta Sauce

6 tablespoon lemon juice (see note 1)
1½ tablespoon lemon zest (see note 1)
⅔ cup olive oil (see note 2)
⅔ cup grated Parmesan
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (see note 3)

For the chicken and pasta

1 chicken breast (see note 4)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (see note 3)
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
1½ tablespoon lemon zest (see note 1)
1 ½ tablespoon AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon oil
11 oz spaghetti
1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Start with the sauce.

Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, parmesan, salt, and black pepper together in a measuring cup.
6 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ tablespoon lemon zest
⅔ cup olive oil
⅔ cup grated Parmesan
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Set the sauce to one side.

For the chicken and pasta

Lay your chicken breast flat on the board and use a large sharp knife to cut sideways through the breast. Continue to cut through the chicken breast, keeping the knife flat and parallel to the chopping board until you have two plump fillets.
1 chicken breast
Add the olive oil, black pepper, dried parsley and lemon zest to a bowl and mix together well.
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
1½ tablespoon lemon zest
Pour this lemon pepper mixture over the chicken fillets and massage until well covered.
Combine the flour and salt in a shallow bowl.
1 ½ tablespoon AP flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Take each chicken fillet and lightly coat it in the flour.
Place a large skillet/fry pan over medium heat, add the oil and let it heat up whilst you get the pasta on.
½ tablespoon oil
Bring a big pan of water to a boil, add the salt and then add the pasta, set a timer for a minute less than the packet suggests.
1 tablespoon salt
11 oz spaghetti
Once the pasta is boiling, cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF/73ºC.
Once cooked remove the chicken from the pan and slice into thin strips. If you do this at an angle you will get larger looking slices.
When the pasta is cooked remove 2 cups of the pasta cooking water and then drain.
Add a ¼ cup of the cooking water to the prepared sauce, stir well and then pour over the pasta. Stir well and add more cooking water until you have a smooth light sauce coating the pasta.
Serve immediately with the sliced chicken and an extra garnish of parsley, pepper and lemon zest.

Notes

You will need about 3 lemons for this recipe as 1 average lemon usually yields 2-3 tablespoons of juice and a tablespoon of zest.
Don't use extra virgin olive oil as the flavor can be too string in the sauce.
Try to use freshly cracked black pepper from a pepper mill or the course cracked pepper you can buy in the grocery store. If you can only find the fine powdered pepper then reduce the pepper by at least half.
As this is mostly a pasta dish, 1 large chicken breast is enough for several slices of chicken per portion. If you are serving people with big appetites or want more chicken then use two chicken breasts.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutrition

Nutrition is per serving

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