Lemon Parmesan Chicken Pasta is delicious seasoned and sautéed chicken and summer veggies, parmesan, lemon and pasta. The perfect easy, flavorful, 20-minute meal.
Sometimes I run out of dinner ideas (I know, crazy right 😉 ) and browse some of my favorite bloggers recipes for inspiration.
Last week I was looking for something to use my summer squash and zucchini, and something that was light and fresh, but also filling. This lemon parmesan chicken pasta completely hit the spot! I’ve made 3 times in the last two weeks, and even “meal prepped” it for lunch for me and my husband. SOO GOOD!
I serve the chicken and veggies over mini farfalle noodles, with fresh parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Have you tried mini farfalle noodles before? They’re adorable (can pasta be adorable?). Well, they are. I thought they really added to the dish and made it “pretty” too.
You could really use any type of pasta you like, or even serve the chicken and veggies in a lettuce cup.
Some tips for this recipe:
Use FRESH ingredients.
Since the flavors of this dish are so simple, you really have to make them count! Use fresh parmesan cheese. The powdered stuff is no good at all, and even packaged, pre-shredded parmesan cheese doesn’t have the same great flavor and texture as freshly shredded parm. Also, freshly shredded parmesan melts better, which works great when you sprinkle it over the warm pasta and on the chicken.
Fresh lemon juice and fresh parsley also make a big difference in flavor. Fresh parsley, especially, adds a great extra touch of flavor that you really can’t get with dried parsley flakes.
Consider trying these popular dinner recipes:
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Italian Grilled Cheese
- Gourmet Baked Mac N Cheese with Bacon
- Crispy BBQ Chicken Wraps
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Lemon Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces mini farfalle pasta (or your favorite bite-size pasta)
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder , divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 yellow squash chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves , chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta cooks, season chicken, on both sides, with salt and pepper. Season with lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp EACH of garlic powder, Italian seasoning and onion powder.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add seasoned chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, flipping once, until cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm while it rests.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Once hot, add the chopped zucchini and yellow squash. Season with salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning. Cook,on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add hot cooked pasta to the pan, along with the butter and lemon juice. Toss everything to combine, until butter has melted. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss to combine.
- Chop the chicken and return to the pan. Serve, garnished with parsley and additional parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Ben says
You have lemon zest in the ingredients but not the instructions!
Lauren Allen says
The lemon zest is added in step 2, with the seasonings added to the chicken.
Melissa Capsalors says
What do you add to the pasta besides the parmesan?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Melissa,
Parmesan is all I toss the pasta with initially. Then it gets added with the veggies and I like to put a little lemon juice and more parm! Feel free to modify it any way you like :)!
Carol says
This was delicious!! I did not have squash so I substituted with cherry tomatoes, spinach and fresh basil!
Super easy and filling but light!
Thank you
Danielle Lee says
This pasta is so tasty! It has become one of our favorite dinners to make. Thanks!
Giovanna says
Perfect light dinner, very tasty and filling. Delicious
Melody says
I can’t get my kids to eat squash, but all but the youngest did so gladly with this recipe. It was funny, because after every bite, somebody would say, “this is SO good!” The flavor combinations work really well together and it was a nice light meal.