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top view of lemon chicken pasta with asparagus in a white bowl
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Lemon Chicken Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

This Lemon Chicken Pasta is bursting with tender, juicy lemon basil chicken and garlic roasted vegetables tossed with lemon linguine, Parmesan, fresh herbs and garlic infused olive oil. It’s a dance of bright, fresh lemon, kicking garlic and nutty Parmesan you will crave for days. This Lemon Chicken Pasta is quick and easy once your chicken has marinade and completely customizable. You can customize the vegetables, add bacon, more cheese or make it creamy. The possibilities are endless!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 8 servings

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetables

  • 1 12 oz. pkg. cherry tomatoes
  • 1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
  • 1/2 bunch asparagus ends trimmed, cut into 1” pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Linguine

  • 1 pound linguine or thin spaghetti
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water (you will not use all of it)
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste
  • crumbled bacon optional

Instructions

  • Marinate Chicken: Marinate Chicken according to recipe directions.
  • Roasted Vegetables: Preheat oven to 400°F. Add vegetables, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to baking sheet and toss to combine. Line vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer. (There will be a generous amount of oil – this will transfer to the pasta later). Roast for 12-15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.
  • Pasta: Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente in generously salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before you drain pasta. Add drained pasta to a very large mixing bowl or pot.
  • Chicken: Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and proceed to grill chicken or cook indoors by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes or until well browned on one side. Flip chicken over, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (time will depend on chicken thickness). Remove to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Assemble: Add red onion to the same skillet chicken was cooked in (add additional olive oil if necessary). Sauté onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Add red onion to the cooked pasta, along with thyme, oregano, parsley, basil, lemon juice, and roasted vegetables. Toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time to reach desired consistency (you may not use all of it). Add desired amount of Parmesan. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, and red pepper if desired.

Notes

TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Use quality extra virgin olive oil.   Olive oil is a major part of the flavor profile of this Lemon Chicken Pasta so you are going to want quality.  EVVO is made by grinding olives into a paste then pressing them to extract the oils, resulting in a grassy, peppery, slightly fruity flavor.  Other “olive oils” are neutral in flavor because they are cold-pressed oil blended with a bit of premium EVOO.
  • Pound the chicken to an even thickness. This not only helps the chicken cook more evenly but tenderizes it as well.  If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can use the side of a can.  I place my chicken in the ziploc bag I’m going to marinate it in for convenience.
  • Don't marinate too long. The marinade for this Lemon Chicken Pasta is highly acidic so the chicken shouldn’t be marinated longer than 12 hours.
  • There will be a generous amount of olive oil. Don’t be worried about what seems like a lot of olive oil for the veggies.  This olive oil gets infused with garlic as it roast the veggies and will all get added to the pasta.
  • Thicker zucchini. Slice zucchini on the thicker side so it doesn't cook too quickly.
  • Use asparagus as a gauge. Base the doneness of the vegetables on the asparagus as the tomatoes and zucchini have a wider range in which they are enjoyable whereas overcooked asparagus are sad.
  • Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.  You always want to let chicken sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before cooking.  Room temperature chicken cooks more quickly and evenly so you aren’t left with an overcooked exterior and cold interior.
  • Don't overcook chicken. If you've been following me for long, you know I highly recommend a meat thermometer so you can cook your chicken perfectly. Over-cooked chicken means dry chicken.
  • Cream or butter option. Reserved pasta water is used at the end to thin the pasta and to create the garlic olive oil sauce.  If you want to get fun and flirty, you can use a little melted butter or heavy cream instead or in combination with reserved pasta water.
  • Make spicy Lemon Chicken Pasta. I like a little kick to my pasta so I’ll often add additional red pepper flakes at the end of cooking.  Just taste first and make the call.  You can also go less fiery with additional black pepper.
  • Up the lemon flavor. If you would like a stronger lemon flavor, you can either add additional lemon juice or I recommend the zest of one lemon, just make sure to not get the white pith as it is bitter instead of tangy.
  • Extra herb solution. If you have extra fresh herbs, mix them with some softened butter to create a herb butter spread.
  • Half recipe. This Lemon Chicken Pasta makes A LOT. If you don't like leftovers, you may wish to halve the recipe.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

This Lemon Chicken Pasta is fabulous as written, but it also serves as a great spring board for a lot of variations.  In fact, I used it for the springboard for my Caprese Chicken Pasta with Roasted Veggies.
  • Make It Creamy!  This Lemon Chicken Pasta is delicious in its garlic olive oil sauce OR you can it a creamy garlic sauce by adding some heavy cream, ricotta, crème fresh, mascarpone,  sour cream or Greek Yogurt.  I’ve even added leftover Alfredo sauce which was excellent.
  • Different Chicken:  You can swap out the chicken with any other favorite chicken marinades such as balsamic or Greek.
  • Shrimp:  You can use the same lemon herb chicken marinade on shrimp but only marinate 30 minutes.  Don’t marinate any longer or the shrimp can become rubbery.
  • Salmon: Use the same marinade on salmon and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
  • Turkey Sausage:  Use your favorite turkey sausage but make sure it has flavor!
  • Veggies: Feel free to customize the veggies with your favs, such as mushrooms, artichokes, bell peppers, peas, etc. but be aware of cooking times.
  • Non-Pasta: You can serve this Lemon Chicken Pasta with any pasta or NON pasta!  Try zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, rice, cauliflower rice, farro, couscous, etc.