Turn leftover chicken into an easy elegant supper with a lemon and some linguine with this easy recipe for lemon chicken pasta. It’s so simple to make and has a bright and cheery lemon flavor that will have them begging for another serving!
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Why this recipe works
This lemony, buttery, easy lemon chicken pasta recipe is not only packed with the sparkling taste of lemon and the creamy, dreamy flavors of butter and cheese, it’s also one of the easiest recipes I know.
It’s the perfect way to use up any leftover chicken you may have lounging around in your fridge, and there are so many ways to customize it (more on that in a sec!).
But most of all, it’s one of those go-to pantry chicken suppers that is just as good at a dinner party as it is on Monday night. A little cooked and shredded chicken, some lemons, some pasta, a handful of herbs, some butter and you are on your way to suppertime happiness!
Ingredients needed for this recipe
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: This is an awesome way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also pick up a rotisserie chicken at your supermarket, or poach a couple of boneless chicken breasts earlier in the day. Put the chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the chicken cool completely, then shred it up.
- Lemons: I’m going to be straight with you here…you gotta like like lemon to like this recipe. It’s LEMONY! And while I always go with fresh squeezed lemon juice when I can, in a pinch you can use the bottled kind.
- Pasta: We like linguine for this recipe, but you can use any long pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc) that you have on hand
- Herbs: We make this with whatever we happen to have on hand, so try your favorite! Parsley, thyme, oregano, chopped sage…and if you are in basil season, that’s wonderful too! Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s the fresh kind, for maximum flavor.
- Add-ins: Sometimes I serve this up with a veggie on the side, but you can also make it a perfect one-pot supper by adding in peas, baby spinach, or whatever other healthy veggie catches your fancy.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Cook up your pasta according to the package directions in heavily salted water until it’s done. Reserve one cup of pasta water (don’t skip this part! I’ll explain later!) and drain.
STEP 2: Meantime, heat some butter in large skillet over medium heat until it is nice melted. Add a couple cups of cooked and shredded chicken and stir it all up together until it is heated through.
STEP 3: Stir in some fresh chopped herbs and lemon juice. If you are adding a veggie, now is the time to pop that in the pan as well. Add your drained pasta and some Parmesan cheese to the pan and give it all a good toss. Drizzle in just enough of that save pasta water to form a light sauce.
STEP 5: Divide among plates, garnish with extra herbs, cheese and lemon slices and serve it up!
Recipe FAQs
When pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water (that is what makes it a little cloudy. And since hopefully you have thoroughly salted your water, at the end of the pasta cooking time you have a starchy, salty water that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for making or loosening up a light pasta sauce. It’s truly magical.
You can! Cut the amount of lemon juice in half, and see how it tastes when you are done. You can always add it a little more if you want to ramp it up.
It depends on the veggies. If you are using frozen peas, heat them up first before you add them. Baby spinach is a wonderful add-in, and you can put it in the skillet without cooking it first – toss it over low heat until it is wilted and then add the pasta.
The absolute easiest way is to send someone out to the supermarket to get you a rotisserie chicken (already cooked and ready to shred!). Otherwise, I like to take chicken breasts, pop them in a pot of water with some salt and pepper, bring it to a boil for about five minutes, turn off the heat and cover the pot and let it cool for a couple of hours. It makes the perfect, tender, easy to shred chicken!
Pop your question in the comments and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out this meal?
One way is to toss some veggies right into the pasta mixture, but we also have a few side dishes we love! Asparagus with parmesan bread crumbs is a delectable side dish, and we also love having some whipped carrots (they add both color and another flavor!).
And we always recommend dessert OF COURSE…these mini apple pies are a nice light ending to a perfect supper.
Other lemony supper recipes we love
Looking for more chicken inspiration? Here is our complete collection of chicken recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Turn leftover chicken into an easy elegant supper with a lemon and some linguine with this easy recipe for lemon chicken pasta. It’s so simple to make and has a bright and cheery lemon flavor that will have them begging for another serving!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 2–3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- Thin lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in heavily salted water until done. Reserve one cup pasta water and drain.
- Meantime, heat butter in large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add chicken and stir for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Stir in herbs and lemon juice. If you are adding some extra veggies, add them now.
- Add pasta and cheese to chicken mixture and toss. Add just enough pasta water to form a light sauce.
- Divide among plates, garnish with extra herbs, cheese and lemon slices and serve.
Notes
- Chicken: This is an awesome way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also pick up a rotisserie chicken at your supermarket, or poach a couple of boneless chicken breasts earlier in the day. Put the chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the chicken cool completely, then shred it up.
- Lemons: I’m going to be straight with you here…you gotta like like lemon to like this recipe. It’s LEMONY! And while I always go with fresh squeezed lemon juice when I can, in a pinch you can use the bottled kind.
- Pasta: We like linguine for this recipe, but you can use any long pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc) that you have on hand
- Herbs: We make this with whatever we happen to have on hand, so try your favorite! Parsley, thyme, oregano, chopped sage…and if you are in basil season, that’s wonderful too! Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s the fresh kind, for maximum flavor.
- Add-ins: Sometimes I serve this up with a veggie on the side, but you can also make it a perfect one-pot supper by adding in peas, baby spinach, or whatever other healthy veggie catches your fancy.
Lemons: You need 2 to 3 lemons if you are squeezing your own juice (which we highly recommend for the extra fresh lemon flavor!) And yes, you can use bottled lemon juice if you need to!
judi lord says
another good name for this would be “chicken piccata pasta” or “piccata pasta” for those who are vegetarian and good for meatless mondays
Catherine Roe says
I love the idea of Lemon Chicken Pasta! I also love all your stories..and this one was espicially charming! Boy how I know certain foods bring on Flashbacks of the past! I will be trying this soon! Thank you again for all your wonderful recipes…Catherine
My pleasure! And yes, there’s nothing like the memories of meals shared with friends — delicious in so many ways!
kt says
if one does not have access to fresh herbs, what would be the dried equivalent measurement be?
I think a good tablespoon of each should be just about right.
Sherri @The Well Floured Kitchen says
Looks Yummy and Simple, my favorite kind of meals!
Mine too! :)
Julia says
Just came across this on Pinterest–looks delicious! I am a sucker for anything with lemon in it.
Me too! Hope you love it. :)
Jennifer Klonsky says
Had a roast chicken in the fridge and was looking for something fun to use it in…so I just whipped some of this up! My 10yo helped and she loved the results. It was quick and easy! I also added leftover steamed broccoli and it went really well with the buttery/lemony sauce. Thanks for this one!!
My pleasure! There’s nothing more delicious than family cooking, I always think. :)
Tessa says
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing such a nice, comforting recipe!
I’m so glad to hear! And my pleasure. :)
Dana Lashley says
This was so good, my 4 yr old asked to have it again tonight (we just had it last night)! Thanks for sharing! It was so easy to make, too!
Dana Lashley says
I forgot to mention, I added some capers too. It was a really nice addition.
Capers are a great idea! Glad you liked this one so much – anything that passes the 4 year old’s test we KNOW is good! :)
ruthie says
I just roasted a chicken and this will be a great dish for some leftovers! So simple and yummy, but mine will of course have a bunch of garlic added to the butter and lemon. ;)
Thanks, Kate!
Kate says
Well, you can’t ever go wrong with garlic! :)
Caroline says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit!! A nice change up from our normal plain spaghetti and parm. Love the lemony flavor.
Kate says
It’s a fun way to shake things up, right? And lemons always taste like spring to me. :)
Nutmeg Nanny says
Such a great photo of the dish I can taste it :) looks absolutely delicious!
Kate says
Aw, thanks! That is one of my all-time favorite plates!
Susan says
Looks delicious. And I concur on the Nestles chocolate cookie recipe. All the recipes we try, we still always go back to the original.
Kate says
I love the classic “back of the package” recipes – why mess with success? :)
Traci says
What a pretty photo. Lemon chicken is one of my favorite recipes. Looks like I’m going to need to try it in pasta form now. :)
Kate says
Thank you! And everything is always better with pasta. Or bacon. That’s my motto.
Joanne says
I’ve always loved the lemony buttery sauce that comes with chicken picatta but now that I don’t eat the meat part of it, that sauce hasn’t really appeared in my life in FOREVER. I need it…in the form of pasta sauce.
Kate says
You DO! I’m guessing it is just as heavenly on plain pasta. :)
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
This looks amazing! The lemon looks so fresh and tasty. Special story of good times!!! xoxo
Kate says
Thanks Robyn! There’s nothing like good food and good friends, right?