This Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken, red peppers, and parsley has a bright, delicate lemon flavor in a creamy, garlicky parmesan sauce. An easy and flavorful one dish meal. Restaurant quality in under 30 minutes.
A one-dish, family favorite
This Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken is a family favorite. Pasta, chicken, veggies, and an amazing sauce all in one dish.
Ready in under 30 minutes
Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken is a quick and easy dinner Ready in under 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights.
Restaurant quality
Surprisingly light and refreshing, his dish has the perfect balance of quality ingredients and complementary flavors.
Lemon and parsley give a bright, fresh flavor to the dish. Red pepper also partners perfectly with artichoke.
Creamy, garlicky parmesan sauce
This creamy, garlicky parmesan sauce is my all-time favorite. While it’s made with cream, it has surprising lightness that clings to each piece of pasta perfectly. It’s never thick or goopy. It even reheats beautifully.
Marinated artichoke hearts
I use my Marinated Artichoke Hearts in this recipe. They’re fast and easy to make in about five minutes. They’re marinated in lemon, olive oil, and seasonings. Click here for the recipe.
I don’t advise using jarred marinated artichoke hearts. The taste might be off.
To make a quick substitute for the Marinated Artichoke Hearts, just drain and rinse a can of artichoke hearts canned in water. Cut them to the desired size, either quarters or smaller and toss them with two tablespoons of lemon juice and twos tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with a half teaspoon of dried oregano. Add salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste. Let rest a few minutes while preparing the rest of the dish.
This will give a much better flavor than jarred artichoke hearts that may be canned in vinegar and other flavors.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken
Sauté chicken breasts in a little oil until golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan and cut into slices.
Sauté finely chopped onion and chopped red pepper until they soften. Stir in minced garlic and let it cook for a minute.
Add the chicken broth (I use water and a bouillon cube) and cream and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 2 minutes, then turn off heat.
Whisk in parmesan, adding it slowly to the pan. Whisk until the parmesan is melted and incorporated into the sauce.
Whisk in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in drained artichoke hearts and parsley. At this point I check the flavor for lemon and salt. The artichoke hearts may have more or less lemon still clinging to them depending on how well they were drained. I like the amount of lemon to be fresh, but not too intense. Adjust the amount to your own taste.
Toss the sauce and sliced chicken with hot, buttered pasta and serve.
Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb box (454g) of penne or other pasta cooked until al dente, then drained and tossed with 1 tablespoon butter.
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts (454g)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¾ cup chicken broth (6oz, 170g)
- 1 ½ cup cream or half and half (12oz, 340g)
- ¾ cup finely grated parmesan cheese (3oz, 85g)
- 1 batch Easy Marinated Artichoke Hearts drained and chopped *see note
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (1oz, 28g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For quicker, more even cooking, slightly flatten breasts with a kitchen mallet. If they are very thick, slice them in half horizontally before flattening. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil.
- When oil is hot, put chicken breasts in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cut into slices.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan. Add onions and cook until softened.
- Add red bell pepper and cook until almost softened.
- Add the garlic. Stir, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Deglaze pan with broth, scraping bottom to release any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add cream and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Slowly add parmesan while whisking and whisk until melted and incorporated into sauce.
- Gently stir in chopped artichoke hearts and parsley.
- Add lemon juice to taste. You may not need the whole tablespoon if the artichoke hearts are lemony enough.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Toss sauce with sliced chicken and hot buttered pasta. Serve.
Notes
Quarter or chop the artichoke hearts and toss with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
Add salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste. Let sit a few minutes before using. *After draining the marinated artichoke hearts, the dressing can be used in salads or over vegetables. *I taste the sauce before putting in the lemon juice. Depending on how much lemon is still clinging to the artichoke hearts, you may want to add less than the full tablespoon of lemon juice. Add according to your own taste.
Enjoy, friends!
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This looks terrific! Love pasta, and you’ve got a lot of neat flavors working together in this dish. Great recipe — thanks.
I love the flavors in this dish! It’s so fresh and they go together perfectly. Thanks so much, John!
You have some really amazing pasta recipes here, Kelly. The sauce makes the dish!
Pasta is our family’s favorite and a favorite of mine because it’s so quick and easy to make! Thanks so much, Angie!
This is absolutely the kind of pasta I like! It’s creamy but not overloaded with sauce. Looks delicious!
The sauce clings perfectly to the pasta without ever being thick and gloopy. Thanks so much, Kankana!
Lovely. I love everything about this pasta dish. I once purchased grilled and marinated artichoke hearts, and they were so awful I threw them all away. I haven’t made your recipe yet but I will!
Mimi, I had the same bad experience with jarred artichoke hearts. Even the quick method of marinating them in lemon and olive for even 5 minutes while you prepare every thing else is so much better. And bonus points for being cheaper, too! Thanks so much!
You can’t beat a good bowl of pasta, and this looks seriously delicious, Kelly! I love artichoke, and I cannot wait to try this! Yum!
Pasta is our fave! And the flavors in this dish are fantastic! Thanks so much, Alexandra!
Looks like the perfect pasta / goodies / sauce ratio! Delicious and pretty enough for a date night or dinner party!
It’s simple, yet elegant. And so delicious! Thanks so much, Marissa!
Totally agree with Kankana ! Brava !
It’s really quite delicious! Thanks so much, Davorka!
Wiping the drool off the keyboard as I type this! This is just the kind of indulgent dish I love! The homemade marinated artichoke hearts are brilliant – definitely something I am going to do ASAP! PS – your photography is gorgeous!!!
It’s one of our favorites! The marinated artichokes give a delicate and mild lemony flavor. And the red peppers and parsley go perfectly! Thanks so much, Nancy!
One of my favorites
Mine too! Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
Oh my, Kelly! This is one gorgeous pasta dish! I can’t get over that sauce! This will be making an appearance on our table real soon!! Thank you for sharing!
The flavors are amazing! Hope you like it! Thanks so much, Annie!
oh yum this looks so tasty. lemon cream capsicum parmesan chicken – all fabulous. what a great combo. cheers S
It’s a fantastic combo! All the flavors complement each other perfectly. Thanks so much, Sherry!
Such a great weeknight recipe, and I think it’s lovely enough for weekend guests, too. Love the tip on making your own marinated artichokes. I want a big batch of them to have at the ready. 🙂 ~Valentina
We can’t get enough artichokes around here! Thanks so much, Valentina!
Looks like the perfect dinner!! I love artichoke hearts so you have me drooling over here!!
I’m so addicted to artichokes since I started making my own marinated artichoke hearts! Thanks so much, Kelly!
When I first saw the recipe, I missed the chicken part. And that made me think, this would be great as a vegetarian dish with the lemon and artichoke! Fantastic recipe, Kelly! This reminds me that it’s a good time of year to make some of your marinated artichokes…
It would be great as a vegetarian dish, David! I just throw the chicken in to make it a one dish meal for the family, but it’s just as delicious without the chicken. Thanks so much!
What a beautiful looking dish Kelly. We’re big pasta fans here and I especially love the sauce! I haven’t tried pasta with artichoke so I’ll need to give that a go soon!
The artichoke hearts add a delicate, lemony flavor to the dish that goes so well with the parsley and red pepper. We love it! Thanks so much, Neil!
Love everything about this pasta dish. It is a kind of dish my daughter would really enjoy 🙂
The flavors in it are amazing! Thanks so much, Taruna!
I love quick and easy dishes like this, Kelly – perfect for dinner when you’re in a hurry but looks like you spent a lot of time making it!
My favorite kind of dish, Geraldine! Thanks so much!
This looks like such a comforting dish Kelly! Perfect with chicken, shrimp, salmon. Can’t wait to try!
Mary Ann, the lemony flavor would be so perfect with shrimp or salmon! Thanks so much!
This pasta looks like something my entire family would love! It looks perfect for busy weeknights or elegant enough for dinner parties!
We love this pasta dish! Thanks so much, Marcie!
I swear we share the exact same tastebuds, Kelly! Every single recipe you post sounds like something I would gladly devour…and then lick my plate clean! I love pasta in all forms, and the flavors going on here sound absolutely amazing. Lemon + artichoke + garlic is a classic combination, and putting these into an easy pasta dish is pure genius! Pass me a serving spoon please. 🙂
I know we do, David! Everything you post is exactly what I was craving – even if I didn’t know it yet! The parsley in this dish works wonders, too. It’s all very fresh and light. Thanks so much!
Kelly, this looks SO fabulous!!! I love all of the fresh herbs on top…it looks perfectly creamy and better than anything I could find in a restaurant! YUM!
The flavors in it are so perfect! Thanks so much, Haylie!
The sauce looks amazing on this dish, Kelly. I just picked up a few artichokes for a really great price, so I think I know what I’m going to do with them now!!
It’s a wonderful combination of flavors and so easy to make! Thanks so much, Katherine!
Gotta love one pot meals made in 30 minutes and this looks like it would hit the spot! So comforting, so delicious and right up my alley – big ol’ YUM!!
The family loves how delicious it is, I love how easy it is! Thanks so much, Dawn!
This sounds like the perfect transition dish for summer to fall! I love all the wonderful ingredients in this delicious recipe…thank you!
We love the flavors in this dish! Thanks so much, Susan!
What a perfect family-friendly pasta dish – lots of flavors and a very pretty presentation too! We enjoy creamy pasta sauces with add -ins such as chicken and veggies – this would make a great dinner for the kids and us!
Our family loves it! Creamy pasta dishes are my favorite. There’s an endless variety of flavors, textures, and colors that can be added. Thanks so much!
Anytime I see artichoke hearts in a recipe, I must check it out! This pasta with the chicken and creamy parm sauce is to die for!
I love the delicate, briny flavor artichoke hearts give to dishes. Especially when they’re marinated at home! Thanks so much, Liz!
Made this for my family after finding a can of Artichoke hearts in my panty and using it for inspriration. I made a couple of changes. Short on time I used pre-packed Rotisserie Chicken. I pre-marinated the canned Artichoke Hearts per the recipe, but used Meyer Lemon Olive Oil so I didn’t add any additional Lemon juice. Bacon makes everything better, so I cooked and chopped several thick slices up and sauted the onions in about 1 Tbls of the rendered fat rather than adding oil. Instead of lemon juice at the end I zested one fresh lemon into the sauce. This was a great recipe!! I think even without my alterations it would have been very good.
That sounds fantastic, Christina! Love your additions! Thanks so much!
Mmm so good!! I didn’t have cream so I used a cup of milk and 2 tsp of cornstarch to help thicken it up a little. I also added cherry tomato halves, which complemented the dish very well <3
Cherry tomatoes would be fabulous in this dish, Melissa! Milk thickened with cornstarch is an excellent alternative to the cream. It saves a lot of calories as well. So happy you liked it! Thankks so much!