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!
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.