Lemon Butter Pasta with Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

kosher salt, to taste

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lb linguine, or other long pasta

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon garlic paste, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

juice of 2 large lemons

zest of 1 lemon (from 1 juiced lemon)

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup reserved pasta water

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Directions

For The Chicken:

Season chicken breasts half with garlic powder, paprika, and salt/pepper on both sides.

In a large non-stick skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Once butter has melted, pan-sear chicken breasts, about 4-5 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through completely. Then set chicken aside on a plate.

Lemon Butter Pasta:

Boil pasta according to your package directions, be sure to salt your water!

On a separate burner, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Then add in garlic and stir together until softened and combined. Sprinkle in salt/white pepper and add in lemon juice/zest.

Once pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/3 cup of starchy pasta water. Add heavy cream, pasta water, and parmesan cheese into sauce mixture, stir together. Allow cream to simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Sauce will get bubbly and start to thicken as it cooks, resembling an alfredo sauce.

Add cooked pasta into lemon butter sauce. Do this in batches (adding a little pasta at a time) so you can evenly toss and coat pasta without overwhelming the skillet all at once.

Serve warm alongside prepared chicken and sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.