This Fresh Lemon Pasta is a Light & Bright Spring Dinner

Lemon pasta is one of our favorite spring flavors.

No long-simmering sauces. This pasta is light and bright, and loaded with one especially spring flavor: lemon!

Suzy Robertson shared her recipe for lemon chicken pappardelle. This pasta is fresh, light, and nontraditional. The chicken marinades in a lemon-cayenne mixture, which plays so well with the other flavors of this dish.

For an even bolder lemon flavor, grab a box of Lemon Torchetti noodles from Trader Joe’s. Or, pair it with pappardelle noodles for a classic combo.

Nothing says spring like fresh asparagus, but you don’t need to pull out your steamer or even your air fryer to cook ’em up. Suzy likes to wrap a few sprigs in a damp paper towel and throw them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. She claims that this trick, passed down from her mom, is the easiest way to cook a smaller portion of asparagus.

Lemon Chicken Linguine

(feeds 6-8)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pappardelle (could use linguine, spaghetti, or noodle of choice)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 medium lemons)
• 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Marinade

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 medium lemons)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size pieces

METHOD

1. For the marinade, combine the olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, cayenne, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Toss the marinade and chicken together in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 12 (better flavor the longer it marinades).
2. For the pasta, zest the lemon, then combine juice of one lemon, zest, olive oil, green onions and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot off the heat. Pour the lemon juice/olive oil/green onion mixture over pasta and toss lightly to combine.
4. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add the marinade AND the chicken to the skillet, moving the chicken pieces so they are in a single layer. Cook over medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the pasta to the skillet with the chicken OR pour the chicken and cooked marinade over the pasta in the pot (whichever will fit the mixture best). Toss with Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Suzy Robertson is a mother of all boys—who spends a lot of time in the kitchen creating recipes that are healthy and delicious. She stands by her five favorites: family, faith, friends, fun, and of course, food! She’s an advocate for balance. She teaches women how to create a healthy lifestyle centered on real food that’s family-friendly, sustainable, and delicious! Find more recipes from Suzy on Instagram, @cook_healthy_with_suzy, or on her website, learntocookhealthy.com.