This lemon pasta recipe with grilled chicken and peppery arugula is bright, fresh, and ready in minutes! It's a delicious, satisfying weeknight dinner.
I love lemons and I love pasta and this recipe is my version of Italian pasta al limone. It's creamy, buttery, and bright with citrus, and super easy to make. For added protein I added grilled chicken and an extra nutrient boost I added arugula.
In This Post
Origins of Pasta al Limone
Pasta al Limone is a classic Italian pasta dish that originates from Campania, a region surrounding the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi coast in Southern Italy. These areas are famous for their abundance of large lemons with high juice content. Pasta al limone is popular during the hot summer months.
While there are many variations, the basic ingredients are fresh lemons, butter or olive oil, heavy cream, cheese, and long cuts of pasta.
Ingredients
- Lemon zest and juice
- Butter and olive oil
- Cream
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Parmesan cheese
- Arugula
- Chicken breast
- Pasta
- Pasta water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Pound and Flatten Chicken
Cover a cutting board with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Place chicken breast on the parchment paper or plastic wrap and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a mallet or heavy frying pan pound the chicken breast using short strokes starting with the thickest part of the breast working your way toward the edge. Flip the breast and repeat. Continue pounding until the chicken breast is ½ to ¼ inch thick.
Season Chicken
Remove the top layer of the parchment or plastic wrap and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken, cover and set aside.
Grill Chicken
Heat a grill pan to high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-high and brush a bit of oil on the pan and make sure the entire pan is coated with oil.
Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side without moving, until the undersides develop dark grill marks. Flip the chicken breasts using a pair of tongs or a fork and cook the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan, wrap in foil and set aside in a warm oven.
Cook Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions, reducing the cooking time by 2 minutes to assure that the pasta is al dente before adding to the sauce.
Sauté Shallots and Garlic
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When the butter is all melted, add the shallots and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Combine Butter and Cream
Add the remaining butter to the skillet, when the butter has melted, slowly pour in the cream, whisking until the sauce emulsifies, about 2 ½ minutes.
Add the lemon zest to the sauce and stir to combine.
Toss Cooked Pasta in Sauce
Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Add the pasta, lemon juice and 1 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, stirring to combine and coat the pasta.
Stir in Cheese
Sprinkle the cheese into the pasta and stir as it melts and coats the pasta. If pasta is too dry add a bit of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
Slice Chicken
Remove the chicken from the warm oven and slice.
Chop Arugula
Rough chop the arugula.
Plate and Serve Pasta
Transfer pasta from the skillet to serving bowls and add slices of the grilled chicken and chopped arugula to the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
Top Recipe Tips
- Use fresh lemons for this recipe, no bottled juice. Lemons are the star of this dish, so fresh is best.
- If your sauce is too thick, add more pasta water to thin it out.
How To Serve
This pasta should be served soon after it's made. Some crusty bread pairs well with this pasta dish.
Get Free Recipe Updates!
Substitutions and Variations
Chicken Breast: Instead of using chicken breast you can use boneless chicken thighs.
Butter: You can skip the butter and just use olive oil and pasta water to create a silky sauce.
Cream: Half and half is a good swap for the cream. If you use milk your sauce may not stay emulsified when you add the lemon juice.
Shallots: An easy swap for shallots are onions.
Cheese: Pecorino Romano can be used in place of Parmesan Reggiano
Arugula: Spinach can be used in place of Arugula or whatever green you want to use.
How To Store Leftovers
How to Store: This pasta dish is best just after it is made and in my home we don't have any leftovers. But if you have any leftovers, store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 4 days.
How to Reheat: When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a bit of water to loosen the sauce if needed.
FAQ
No, you can omit them both. The
combination of olive oil, starchy pasta water,
and cheese will create a silky sauce.
To make this dish vegetarian, skip the grilled chicken. For a vegan version, leave out the butter and cream.
You can easily trade the grilled chicken for shrimp or meatballs.
Lemon Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Peppery Arugula
Save This Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to your inbox, so you can find it later! Plus get updates of more delicious quick and easy recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breast
- 1 lb. spaghetti pasta
- 2 cups reserved pasta water you may not have to use all of the water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- zest of one medium lemon
- juice of one medium lemon
- ¾ cups parmesan reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 3-4 cups fresh arugula
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pound and flatten chicken: Cover a cutting board with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Place chicken breast on the parchment paper or plastic wrap and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a mallet or heavy frying pan pound the chicken breast using short strokes starting with the thickest part of the breast working your way toward the edge. Flip the breast and repeat. Continue pounding until the chicken breast is ½ to ¼ inch thick. Remove the top layer of the parchment or plastic wrap and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken, cover and set aside.
- Grill the chicken: Heat a grill pan to high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-high and brush a bit of oil on the pan and make sure the entire pan is coated with oil. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side without moving, until the undersides develop dark grill marks. Flip the chicken breasts using a pair of tongs or a fork and cook the other side for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan, wrap in foil and set aside in a warm oven
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions, reducing the cooking time by 2 minutes to assure that the pasta is al dente before adding to the sauce.
- Prepare the sauce: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When the butter is all melted, add the shallots and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, when the butter has melted, slowly pour in the cream, whisking until the sauce emulsifies, about 2 ½ minutes. Add the lemon zest to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Toss pasta in the sauce: Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Add the pasta, lemon juice and 1 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, stirring to combine and coat the pasta. Sprinkle the cheese into the pasta and stir as it melts and coats the pasta. If pasta is too dry add a bit of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
- Slice chicken and chop arugula: Remove the chicken from the warm oven and slice. Rough chop the arugula.
- Plate and Serve: Transfer pasta from the skillet to serving bowls and add slices of the grilled chicken and chopped arugula to the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
Notes
Save This Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to your inbox, so you can find it later! Plus get updates of more delicious quick and easy recipes.
Noelle Walters says
The link is to a different recipe!
Celeste says
The link has been fixed. Thanks for letting me know about the issue.