Simply the Zest

Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

recipe by leigh anne wilkes
photography by erica allen

Lemon-Garlic Chicken Pasta

recipe by leigh anne wilkes
photography by erica allen

Thanks to the lemon juice, zest and lemon pepper, this lemon-garlic chicken packs a lemony punch! You can use breast or thigh meat, although I prefer thigh meat. Serve over pasta and the leftover juice in the slow cooker becomes your pasta sauce.

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Pasta, cooked, for serving
  • Fresh parsley, for garnish


Print Recipe
  1. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper, oregano and salt on both sides.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large frying pan and brown the chicken on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
  3. Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, zest and garlic to the pan the chicken was in. Bring it to a boil and scrape up all the goodness on the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours (breasts will take more like 4 hours). The chicken will be tender and pull apart easily.
  5. Remove the chicken and ½ cup of juice from the slow cooker. Add the cornstarch to the juice and then return it to the slow cooker. Cook the sauce for 30 minutes on high to allow it to thicken.
  6. Pull the chicken apart and put it back into the sauce. Pour it over the pasta and mix to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley.

  7. Serves 4 to 6

Reprinted from Holiday Slow Cooker Copyright © 2017 by Leigh Anne Wilkes. Published by Page Street Publishing.

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Posted in January 2019 on Nov 01, 2018