Easy Lemon Chicken Asparagus Pasta in a Skillet
Get ready, because this lemon chicken asparagus pasta recipe is a 30-minute meal that tastes straight out of a restaurant, but better: you made it!
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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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 523IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 2mg
