One Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal! The juicy chicken and caramelized onions cook together in the creamy lemon sauce with gluten-free spaghetti. It's light, zesty, and packed with flavor!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy - This is such an easy one-pot meal for busy weeknights! It doesn't take long to prepare, and everything cooks in one pot for easy cleanup. (Even the pasta!)
Tasty - Because everything cooks together in one pot, the chicken is tender, the pasta has great flavor, and the sauce is creamy and delicious. It's definitely a family favorite!
Allergy Friendly - For this Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta, I used chicken broth and full fat coconut milk as a dairy-free alternative in place of heavy cream or parmesan cheese. The pasta is made with brown rice which also makes this dish gluten-free!
If you love chicken & pasta recipes like this, you'll also love my Dairy-Free Tuscan Chicken Pasta, Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Pasta, and Mushroom Pesto Pasta.
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breast - My favorite organic, free-range chicken breast brands are Butcher Box and Bell & Evans. If you don't want to cut the chicken breast, use chicken tenders.
- Chicken Broth - Any chicken broth or chicken stock will work with this recipe. You can even use homemade broth!
- Uncooked Gluten-Free Pasta - I used Jovial Brown Rice Spaghetti. Any gluten-free pasta will work! Fettuccine or angel hair are also great options.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk - This is my favorite dairy-free alternative for milk or heavy cream! It makes the sauce creamy and delicious. You can try swapping for a different dairy-free milk, but it will not come out as creamy.
- Sweet Onion - Cut the onion into thin slices.
- Fresh Garlic - If you don't have fresh garlic, you can also use about a ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. To save time on cutting, use a small grater instead!
- Fresh Lemon - You'll need lemon juice and lemon zest for this recipe. Use a small hand grater for the lemon zest.
- Olive Oil - You can also use coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Seasoning - Just salt & black pepper are all you'll need to season this recipe.
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté Onions
Start by sautéing thinly sliced onions with olive oil on medium heat until they're a light golden brown color. Stir frequently to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Step 2: Add in Chicken & Seasoning
Next, add in cubed chicken, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic. Cook covered stirring occasionally for a few minutes.
Step 3: Add in Broth and Spaghetti
Then add in the chicken broth, full fat coconut milk, and spaghetti. Slowly push the spaghetti into the broth as it cooks down.
Step 4: Finishing Dish
Cover until the broth starts to boil. Remove the cover when it's boiling and turn down the heat. Let the dish simmer until the pasta is al dente. Serve hot!
If you decide to add in baby spinach, stir it in while the pasta is cooking.
Expert Tips
- Let the pasta simmer in the sauce covered but stir occasionally so it doesn't stick together.
- To avoid dry chicken, do not overcook it before adding in the broth.
- Any large skillet will work with this recipe, but I love using a stainless steel skillet with taller sides.
- Use a small grater for the garlic instead of cutting it with a knife.
- The pasta will absorb the sauce, but you can add in extra broth when you reheat or if the dish has been sitting for a while.
- To thin out the sauce you can also use a little of the pasta water!
- Do not overcook this dish, serve hot as soon as the pasta is al dente.
Serving Suggestions
Whenever I make pasta, I try to incorporate some type of fresh greens into the dish or on the side! This recipe tastes great with baby spinach.
Vegetables
The fresh baby spinach melts right into the sauce for extra nutrients and it gives this dish a beautiful color contrast. Other vegetables that would pair well are cherry tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, or green beans.
Another great option for sneaking in extra vegetables is by adding zucchini or yellow squash "pasta."
Salad
You can also serve this dish with a simple salad that includes mixed greens or arugula.
Nuts
For extra crunch, toast chopped cashews or walnuts to sprinkle on top!
Garnish
To garnish this dish, add fresh lemon slices and finely chopped parsley.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Recipe Card
One Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 1 Large Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast, Cubed
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 12 Ounces Gluten-Free Pasta I used Jovial Brown Rice Spaghetti.
- 13.5 Ounces Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 1 Sweet Onion, Thinly Sliced
- 4-6 Cloves of Garlic
- ⅓ Cup Lemon Juice
- 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
Optional
- 4-6 Cups Baby Spinach
Instructions
- Start by sautéing thinly sliced onions with olive oil on medium heat until they're a light golden brown color. Stir frequently to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add in cubed chicken, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic. Cook covered stirring occasionally for a few minutes.
- Then add in the chicken broth, full fat coconut milk, and spaghetti. Slowly push the spaghetti into the broth as it cooks down.
- Cover until the broth starts to boil. Remove the cover when it's boiling and turn down the heat. Let the dish simmer until the pasta is al dente. Serve hot!
Notes
Expert Tips
- Let the pasta simmer in the sauce covered but stir occasionally so it doesn't stick together.
- To avoid dry chicken, do not overcook it before adding in the broth.
- Any large skillet will work with this recipe, but I love using a stainless steel skillet with taller sides.
- Use a small grater for the garlic instead of cutting it with a knife.
- The pasta will absorb the sauce, but you can add in extra broth when you reheat or if the dish has been sitting for a while.
- To thin out the sauce you can also use a little of the pasta water!
- Do not overcook this dish, serve hot as soon as the pasta is al dente.
How To Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. ** See full post for more information and step by step photos!Nutrition
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Audrey Green
What pasta water? I put in to sauce to cook with chicken??
Mariah Knight
Hi! You don't need water to cook the pasta in this recipe. There is plenty of liquid with the chicken broth. The pasta cooks in with the rest of the ingredients! Check out the step by step photos!