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Juicy chicken, asparagus, and pasta tossed in a light, creamy lemon sauce make this recipe epic. In fact, the flavors of this lemon chicken asparagus pasta are what makes my family devour their meal every time I make it.
Chicken Pasta with Asparagus
My family devours this chicken pasta with asparagus every time I make it because it’s one of those chicken pasta recipes that feels light yet still comforting.
Adding the pasta definitely bulks up the meal, vs. cooking pan-seared chicken and asparagus only. And the creamy lemon sauce… oh man. It’s so good nobody will complain about the veggies, and you’ll get the benefits of asparagus, including fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants from your meal. Win-win!
How to Make Chicken Asparagus Pasta
If recipes with multiple ingredients feel intimidating, I’m going to reassure you that you’ve got this 30-minute meal in the bag. You’re going to boil the pasta and cook the asparagus in the same pot for ultimate efficiency.
Meanwhile, you’ll cook the chicken in the pan and when it’s ready, you set it aside. With those epic tidbits in the pan, you’ll make the sauce, and then combine it all! Don’t worry, I’ve got full instructions and a video in the recipe card for you.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Asparagus Pasta
The portions are generous, but should you have leftovers, let them cool down completely before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. One quick tip is to add a tablespoon or two of milk when reheating leftovers to make the pasta tender and revive the sauce.
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken Pasta
This is a complete dinner by itself, but if you’ve got room for more, try one of these pasta side dishes. My go-to is a simple and fresh side salad or fluffy popovers that always disappear.
Easy Lemon Chicken Asparagus Pasta in a Skillet
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 8 oz fresh asparagus, about ½ bunch
- 2 chicken breasts, butterflied
- Salt and pepper, for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot (or ½ cup onion), chopped
- 6 cloves garlic , grated
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or stock
- 1 cup milk or half and half
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, more for serving
- ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
Prep:
- On a flat surface, butterfly the two chicken breasts into 4 thinner pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Grate the garlic, chop the shallot or onion, trim the ends of the asparagus and chop them into 1-inch pieces. Set the board aside and have the ingredients ready.
Cook the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the chopped asparagus to the pasta. Cook them with the pasta for about 5 minutes. Once cooked, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
Time to cook in the pan:
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil, heat it up, and spread it around the pan to coat.
- Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and cook, without moving them, for 4 minutes on the first side, then once golden and seared, flip them over and continue cooking for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken breasts’ internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from pan onto a plate or cutting board.
- To the same pan, add the butter and melt it; add the chopped shallot or onions and sauté for about 2 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic, and stir to cook the garlic for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth and milk or half and half to the pan, bringing it to a simmer while stirring the tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, stir to combine, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
- When the sauce is ready, slice the chicken breasts diagonally into ½-inch strips and add them to the pan with the juices from the board.
- Transfer the drained pasta and asparagus to the pan with the chicken and sauce. Add the parmesan cheese, and squeeze ½ of the lemon into the pan. Toss everything to combine and slowly add the pasta water to thin out the sauce while tossing it around.
Serve:
- Plate the chicken asparagus pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each plate for extra zest.
Angela says
This recipe turned out amazing! It was easy to prepare and the entire family loved it. I can’t wait to make it again!!
amy liu dong says
I need to try this dish this weekend. It looks so good and tasty!
Mahy says
Fantastic pasta, I just wanted you to know that I can’t get enough of it. Thank you!
Catalina says
This pasta was everything I hoped it would be—light, fresh, and so full of flavor! The lemon adds the perfect zing, and the asparagus kept it feeling healthy and vibrant.
Mimi says
It’s been a while since I made proper pasta, so this recipe was a great present for me. Delicious – thanks!
Janie says
Had a bunch of lemons from the tree and needed some ideas to make with them. So glad I made this pasta for the family. They literally grabbed a second serving!
Maria says
I have a ton of corkscrew noodles, and I really don’t want to buy more. I assume any short noodle works for this?
Laura says
Sure thing, you can definitely swap for your favorite style of short noodles or what you have on hand. I personally love penne for the way it traps sauce inside the noodle, but corkscrews are fantastic too, I’ve used them to make this dish before as well. I hope your family loves it.
Beth says
I love the flavor of this dish. I often serve my chicken pasta with asparagus on the side, so I think this makes so much sense.
Elizabeth says
This pasta is delicious! I’m not usually a big fan of asparagus but this recipe made it very enjoyable. Bonus – being able to make this in 30 minutes!
Ashley says
Loved this chicken asparagus pasta!
amy liu dong says
Such an easy and delicious summer pasta recipe and I am sure everyone will love this!
Jaleah says
This lemon chicken asparagus pasta was so delicious!! Adding this to my weeknight rotation for sure.
Nicole says
I love the flavor of the asparagus and the lemon. It’s perfect with the chicken.
Elizabeth Crank says
Is this recipe 12 oz DRY pasta or COOKED? Seems like a lot
Laura Fuentes says
12 ounces of dry pasta. It yields 6 servings, 2 ounces each.
Jen says
Sause was a bit watery before adding in pasta so I didn’t need pasta water. I used less thyme and about a cup of cheese to make it how we like it.
Leo says
Very tasty, added some fresh spinach. Thanks
Janna says
This was so good!
Jackie says
This was a great recipe
Emma says
Sooooo delicious chicken asparagus pasta! My family enjoyed this meal so much, I’ll make it again for sure!
Iris says
My new fave!
Lily says
This pasta was seriously so delicious! Everybody in my family was going for seconds. I used chicken thighs and half & half. It was still a light sauce but creamy.
Kari says
Im obsessed with this lemon chicken skillet pasta!! Absolutely amazing!
Jeannette1 says
I made this today and my family loved this lemon chicken asparagus. They usually aren’t big fans of asparagus but the flavors were terrific they ate it all!
Layla says
New favorite recipe! Omg this was incredible.
Estella says
A tasty recipe that I swear it makes you feel like you’re eating at a restaurant but so easy to make. Will make it again.
Mabel Caban says
Excellent. Instead of salt I substituted with Penney’s spice for the chicken. Love the sauce.
Laura Fuentes says
Great swap!
Sarah says
One of the best lemon chicken pasta recipes I’ve made so far. Will make it again
Emily says
Delish!! My family loves chicken pasta and the asparagus make a great addition – a veggie addition my kids loved it!
Jazz says
LOVED this chicken and asparagus pasta. I used frozen asparagus and this recipe made them actually good.
Daisy says
This really is a 30 min recipe and I’m so grateful! Turned out perfect!
Alice says
This lemon chicken asparagus pasta is my go-to for quick and easy weeknight dinner that everyone in the fam loves!!
Dietrich says
Good recipe! I thickened the gravy a liitle bit, increased the amount and used fettuccine instead. Worked out great! Definitely leftovers for tomorrow.
Crystal says
Wow!!!! Total hit with the entire household! It’ll definitely be a new regular for our weeknight dinner rotation. It’s fairly quick, easy, and cost effective, and it’s endlessly adaptable so we’re not eating the same dinner every week.
Stumbled across this site while trying to figure out what to cooknfor dinner, and I’m so glad I did. Now I need to go check out more
Christy says
So is the asparagus thrown in uncooked?
Laura Fuentes says
The asparagus are cooked for 5 minutes while the pasta cooks (first step in recipe) so they’re added to the sauce cooked with the pasta.
Sheila Dooley Connor says
When do you use the reserved pasta water?
Laura Fuentes says
Thanks for catching that, Sheila. I added it in the post but not the recipe card itself. At the end, on step 8, after you toss the pasta with the sauce in the pan, if you feel like you want to thin out the consistency (some people like their sauces thinner), that’s the time. I hope you try it and enjoy it!
Cat says
Made this chicken yesterday. Was excellent.