Brown Butter Lemon Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken with spaghetti in nutty brown butter and bright lemon sauce. Ready in 35 minutes.

# What you'll need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), sliced into strips
02 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

→ Pasta

05 - 12 ounces dried spaghetti

→ Sauce

06 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - Zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
08 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
09 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

→ For Searing & Finishing

12 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
13 - Extra lemon wedges for serving

# How to make it:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
02 - Season the chicken strips with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
04 - Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the skillet and let it melt. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, approximately 3 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
05 - Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
06 - Add cooked spaghetti, chicken, lemon juice, and half the Parmesan to the skillet. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a glossy sauce.
07 - Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and remaining Parmesan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Transfer to serving bowls and serve immediately with extra lemon wedges.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent an hour in the kitchen but takes barely longer than boiling pasta.
  • The brown butter adds a richness that makes people ask what your secret is.
  • Lemon keeps it bright so it never feels heavy, even with all that butter.
  • You can swap the protein or skip it entirely and it still works beautifully.
02 -
  • Brown butter can turn from perfect to burned in seconds, so stay at the stove and keep swirling the pan.
  • Reserve pasta water before you drain, that starchy liquid is what makes the sauce creamy without adding cream.
  • Don't rinse the pasta after draining, you want that surface starch to help the sauce stick.
  • If the sauce looks dry when you toss it, add pasta water a tablespoon at a time until it's glossy.
03 -
  • Use a light colored skillet when browning butter so you can see the color change clearly.
  • Zest the lemon before you juice it, it's much easier that way.
  • Toss the pasta in the skillet off the heat so the Parmesan melts into the sauce without clumping.
  • Taste before serving and adjust, sometimes it needs an extra pinch of salt or another squeeze of lemon to really sing.
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