What's the deal with the pasta water?

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.

I like the idea of this, but can I make the lemon taste milder?

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.

If I want to add veggies, do I cook them before I add them?

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.

I don't have any leftover chicken! What's the best way to get cooked chicken for this recipe

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!

Have a question that I didn't cover?

Pop your question in the comments and I will answer pronto!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

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4.2 from 9 reviews

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!

Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

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

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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!

Find it online: https://www.framedcooks.com/lemon-chicken-pasta/