Lemon Butter Pasta with Chicken

This creamy and flavorful lemon butter pasta with juicy chicken is so delicious; featuring bright buttery lemony notes bursting throughout each bite! Perfect for weeknight dinner or date-night in!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• kosher salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 lb linguine, or other long pasta
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• juice of 2 large lemons
• zest of 1 lemon (from 1 juiced lemon)
• 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- For The Chicken: ---
2. 2Season chicken breasts half with garlic powder, paprika, and salt/pepper on both sides.
3. 3In a large non-stick skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Once butter has melted, pan-sear chicken breasts, about 4-5 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through completely. Then set chicken aside on a plate.
4. 4--- Lemon Butter Pasta: ---
5. 5Boil pasta according to your package directions, be sure to salt your water!
6. 6On a separate burner, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Then add in garlic and stir together until softened and combined. Sprinkle in salt/white pepper and add in lemon juice/zest.
7. 7Once pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/3 cup of starchy pasta water. Add heavy cream, pasta water, and parmesan cheese into sauce mixture, stir together. Allow cream to simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Sauce will get bubbly and start to thicken as it cooks, resembling an alfredo sauce.
8. 8Add cooked pasta into lemon butter sauce. Do this in batches (adding a little pasta at a time) so you can evenly toss and coat pasta without overwhelming the skillet all at once.
9. 9Serve warm alongside prepared chicken and sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.