Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta

Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe – lemon pepper grilled chicken served over linguine tossed in a quick creamy lemon pesto sauce. Make the sauce while the chicken cooks, and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes! Garnish with fresh herbs and tomatoes for a meal better than any restaurant!

bowl of lemon pest pasta with chicken and tomatoes with text overlay

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Lemon Pesto Pasta Recipe

Grilled chicken and pasta is one of our “go-to” meals. There are so many ways to mix it up that we never get bored with it. This pasta dish combines some of our favorite flavors – lemon and pesto. This dish sounds fancy, but it is very simple to make. It uses a bottled marinade and pre-made pesto. Bottled marinades are a great time-saver! They taste great, and all the work has already been done for you.

What is Pesto?

Pesto is a paste/sauce that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, fresh basil leaves, and parmesan or pecorino cheese, all blended with olive oil.

bowl of lemon pest pasta with chicken and tomatoes

How to Make Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta

This dish is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Start with marinating the chicken. In a bowl, whisk together lemon pepper marinade and dried basil. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken for 12-15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

While the chicken grills, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then slowly whisk in milk and lemon zest. Continue whisking until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Add basil pesto and mix well. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.

Transfer pasta to a bowl and top with sliced chicken. Garnish with fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and tomatoes.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • I use a bottle of Lawry’s Lemon Pepper marinade.
    • You can make your own marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper.
  • You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken – chicken breasts, chicken tenders, chicken thighs, chicken wings, or chicken drumsticks/legs.
  • You can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Adjust the cooking time to ensure an internal temperature of 165ºF.
  • I suggest pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness. We put the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and use a flat meat mallet to pound out the hump carefully. This ensures that the chicken cooks evenly, and you don’t have juicy chicken and half-dry chicken.
  • I don’t have a grill. Can I cook the chicken in the oven or skillet? Yes! To cook the chicken breasts inside, pan-sear it for 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes.
  • You can use any pasta that you enjoy in this dish. We prefer linguine or fettuccine.
    • Fusilli, bowtie pasta, and penne pasta are also great.
  • You might want to reserve a ladle or two of hot pasta water so you can add a little to the sauce while tossing with pasta if you want a saucier dish. 
  • Variations/Additions:
    • onions
    • spinach
    • kale
    • red pepper flakes
    • chives
  • Can I Store Lemon Pesto Pasta in the Freezer? Freezing is not recommended for this dish.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
    • To reheat, cook for about 5 minutes in a pan on the stove or 2 minutes in the microwave.
    • Add a splash of heavy cream if the sauce is too thick.
bowl of lemon pest pasta with chicken and tomatoes

What to Serve with Chicken & Lemon Pesto Pasta

This chicken pasta is on repeat at our house. We absolutely LOVE it. When it comes to what to serve alongside this dish, I’ve got lots of delicious recipes for you. Start by adding a simple green salad on the side – a medley of fresh, crisp lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber, lightly drizzled with a zesty vinaigrette. The cool, refreshing salad is the perfect counterpart to the warm, savory pasta. If you’re feeling a bit more indulgent, consider some garlic breadsticks or a crusty baguette to mop up that delectable lemony pesto sauce. No matter what you serve with this pasta, this is sure to be a hit with the whole family!

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this pasta:

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bowl of lemon pest pasta with chicken and tomatoes with text overlay

Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta

Yield: 4 people
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe – lemon pepper grilled chicken served over linguine tossed in a quick creamy lemon pesto sauce. Make the sauce while the chicken cooks, and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes! Garnish with fresh herbs and tomatoes for a meal better than any restaurant!

Ingredients:

  • 3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup bottled lemon pepper marinade
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • cup pesto
  • 12- oz linguine pasta
  • 1 tomato, chopped and seeded

Instructions:

  • Combine lemon pepper marinade and dried basil. Pour over chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (I usually marinate the chicken overnight)
  • Grill chicken for 12-15 minutes, or until done (165 degrees).
  • While the chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and lemon zest. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Add pesto and mix well.
  • To serve, slice chicken into strips. Toss cooked pasta in the pesto, top with chicken and garnish with tomatoes.

Notes:

  • I use a bottle of Lawry’s Lemon Pepper marinade. 
    • You can make your own marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper.
  • You can use this marinade on any cut of chicken – chicken breasts, chicken tenders, chicken thighs, chicken wings, or chicken drumsticks/legs.
  • You can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Adjust the cooking time to ensure an internal temperature of 165ºF.
  • I suggest pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness. We put the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and use a flat meat mallet to carefully pound out the hump. This ensures that the chicken cooks evenly and you don’t have juicy chicken and half-dry chicken.
  • I don’t have a grill. Can I cook the chicken in the oven or skillet? Yes! To cook the chicken breasts inside, pan-sear it for 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes.
  • You can use any pasta that you enjoy in this dish. We prefer linguine or fettuccine.
    • Fusilli, bowtie pasta, and penne pasta are also great.
  • You might want to reserve a ladle or two of hot pasta water so you can add a little to the sauce while tossing with pasta if you want a saucier dish. 
  • Variations/Additions:
    • onions
    • spinach
    • kale
    • red pepper flakes
    • chives
  • Can I Store Lemon Pesto Pasta in the Freezer? Freezing is not recommended for this dish.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
    • To reheat, cook for about 5 minutes in a pan on the stove or 2 minutes in the microwave.
    • Add a splash of heavy cream if the sauce is too thick.

Steph

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bowl of lemon pest pasta with chicken and tomatoes with text overlay

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Comments

  1. I made this last night. It is good and will make again. I didn’t think my husband would like it but he went back for seconds. The chicken is so good.

  2. This looks delicious but the only meat recipe I've made is chicken soup from scratch which came out great so I'm trying more meat recipes. And I have dumb question since I'm a beginner. Do I set the grill to 165 degrees and then grill for 12-15 minutes? Or do I grill at some other temperature until the chicken reaches 165 so do I need a thermometer? I have a george forman in my kitchen. Thank you.

    1. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature is 165. I don't use the George Forman, but I googled it and the consensus is that it should take about 8-10 minutes to cook chicken. Good Luck!!

  3. Tasted delicious! However, I would suggest not letting the linguini set aside because it tends to stick together. I would make the pesto sauce while the pasta is cooking and then mix it together with the pasta right away. Also, I would add the tomatoes to the pesto sauce so they heat up a bit. That way you don't have cold tomatoes on top.

  4. Sounds fantastic, Steph. Lemon and chicken rock together and the pesto would make this kick. Saving this one.

  5. Made this last night and the entire family loved it–even the picky 4-year old who doesn't like "green stuff" proclaimed, "I LOVE this pasta, mommy!" Thanks for offering easy and delicious recipes!!!!

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