Creamy Lemon Chicken Fettuccine – this quick and easy meal is boldly flavored thanks to the bright acidity from lemons, a touch of heat from chilies and the pungency of garlic. It is ready in but mere moments making it a perfect weeknight meal. Switch it up and use shrimp and or scallops for entertaining. Or, if pasta isn’t your schtick, then make the sauce and chicken to serve over steamed rice. I like to serve this with broccoli that’s either been steamed or cooked in the air fryer. The sauce is good just with the chicken and broccoli for those needing to cut back on carbs.
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Make sure to add the pasta water to the sauce and let the sauce cook until it coats the back of a spoon. The fettuccine is almost cooked but I remove it early and allow it to steep in the sauce for five minutes or so to finish cooking and soak up the vibrant flavor of the sauce. Either toss the chicken through the pasta or serve it sliced on top as I did because I think it looks nice. Use chicken breasts or skinless, boneless thighs – which have more flavor. Or as I mentioned, add some shrimp instead of the chicken. You could even do a vegetarian version of this with broccoli.
I love this recipe for many reasons: it’s easy AF and quick to make; it has only a handful of ingredients of things most of us have in our essential pantry; it can easily be zhuzhed-up when you’re entertaining and it’s both comforting and vibrant. I hope this becomes a favorite for you. Lovoni xo.
Check out these other lemony recipes: Grilled Lemon Oregano Lamb Chops; Crispy Chicken with Lemon Butter and Lemon Glazed Zucchini Walnut Muffins.
CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN FETTUCCINE
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- Drizzle of olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- A good pinch of sea salt
- A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 extra teaspoon
- 1 lb fettuccine
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper chili flakes, adjust to suit your heat tolerance
- 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef knife, cut each chicken breast in half horizontally – the blade of the knife will be parallel with the cutting board. Toss the chicken, a drizzle of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and a generous pinch of pepper together in a large bowl. Heat a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 4 minutes each side until browned – the chicken should release easily from the pan when it is cooked on one side then the other. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm. Don’t wash the pan.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and boil, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Heat the same pan you cooked the chicken in on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring for a minute or two until the garlic is softened and fragrant.
- Add the crushed red pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Stir everything together ensuring you scrape some of the browned bits from the chicken into the sauce. Add the cream and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the fettuccine cooking water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Drain the fettuccine and add to the sauce. Toss until well combined. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the chicken against the grain. Add to the fettuccine. Toss to combine. You can also serve the chicken sliced on top of the fettuccine which I did because I think it looks prettier.
- Sprinkle with parsley then serve into warmed pasta bowl. Serve with extra parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.
Nutrition
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