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Creamy lemon chicken spaghetti

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Chicken breasts are cooked in a light, bright lemon and goat cheese sauce and served over spaghetti for a fast, flavorful dinner!Creamy lemon chicken spaghetti has a light but luscious goat cheese sauce | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Happy hump day! How’s your week going?

The kiddos are gearing up for all things Valentine’s Day. They have parties at school, we’re having friends over for a party this weekend, I’m cutting out hearts as fast as my fingers will allow for them to decorate and we’ve had lots of envelopes going out to family all over the country with our masterpieces. 

Did I mention I’m not that into Valentine’s Day?

Ha! Mostly I just kinda shrug and shuffle along. Hubs and I make a nice dinner at home and call it a day. We don’t even give each other cards these days. #oldmarriedcouple

Creamy lemon chicken and pasta with a light but luscious goat cheese sauce | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

But the kids have definitely brought a different level of fun and excitement to the holiday. I’ve been using my cookie cutter hearts to make their food extra fun this week and they are eating it up. (Bad pun totally intended.)

They loved the mini chocolate cupcakes we’ve had over the past week and I promised M she could have more chocolate pancakes on Valentine’s Day.

But in between all the madness and all the chocolate, I need some real food. Simple but with a few tweaks to make it special.

 Voila! This chicken spaghetti dinner is light but luscious. The sauce is goat cheese and chicken broth and loads of bright citrus notes from the lemon. And it’s a two-part wham-bam of lemon flavor: first you fry some slices in the pan and later you add some zest and juice. Thank you ma’am. 

Creamy lemon chicken spaghetti has a light but luscious goat cheese sauce | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Sure, you could skip frying the lemon… but you really shouldn’t. It develops some good lemony bits in the pan that infuse the onions and chicken pieces as they cook. Plus it looks killer to top your plate with them! We eat with our eyes first, right?

And even with that step, this whole chicken spaghetti dinner is ready in under 30 minutes. So I can get back to cutting out hearts for my budding artists. 

Hope you give this a try and enjoy!

Creamy lemon chicken spaghetti

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Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 25 minutes
Serves 4 servings     adjust servings

Chicken breasts are cooked in a light, bright lemon and goat cheese sauce and served over spaghetti for a fast, flavorful dinner!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
  • 2 lemons, 1 sliced in 1/4-inch slices, 1 zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 oz. goat cheese (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, for serving (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook whole wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add lemon slices and sear for 1-2 minutes. Flip the lemon slices over and cook 1 more minute. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add the remaining two teaspoons olive oil to the pan. Add diced onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to the pan and saute for an additional 30 seconds, stirring.
  5. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear on both sides, about 3-5 minutes total. (The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point. It will continue to cook in the sauce.)
  6. Add goat cheese and chicken broth and stir to combine and melt the cheese.
  7. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, until slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through.
  8. Stir in lemon zest and juice and serve the chicken and sauce and serve over the cooked and drained spaghetti.
  9. Top with reserved fried lemon slices and sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe Notes

I used a mild, unflavored goat cheese, but you could certainly make this with an herbed goat cheese. Also, sometimes my goat cheese comes in a 4 oz. package. Other times what I buy is a 5 oz. package. Go on and use the whole thing if you have 5 oz. More cheese is never a bad thing!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per ServingAs Served
Calories 736kcal Calories from fat 141
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 6g30%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 137mg46%
Sodium 466mg19%
Carbohydrate 93g31%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Sugars 2g
Protein 62g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

Calories2000
Total FatLess than65g
Sat FatLess than25g
CholesterolLess than300mg
SodiumLess than2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate300g
Dietary Fiber25g

** What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

Creamy lemon chicken spaghetti has a light but luscious goat cheese sauce | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

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Comments

  3. Aggie @ Aggie's Kitchen says

    This looks so amazing!! I just picked up some preserved lemons from Trader Joe’s – I’ve had them in restaurants but never at home, going to use them to make a pasta dish like this. I’m craving this for breakfast 🙂

    Reply

  5. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    We don’t normally do a whole lot for Vday either, Kathryn… and I’m not one for cards, I’d rather save the trees. 😉 But I AM all for this chicken!!! LOVE the lemon and goat cheese sauce!! I bet that tastes unbelievably delicious on it’s own! But paired with chicken and pasta? Wham bam delici-o-so! YUMM! Cheers, friend!

    Reply

  8. Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says

    First, I’ve never made a pasta sauce with goat cheese, which I loooovvvee, so I can’t wait to try this one! Second, I like making a fuss about Valentine’s but only food wise. I just like to make everything pink and heart shaped all day long! 🙂 But yea, old married couple for sure. I ordered my husband some new beard oil and it came in the mail yesterday. He didn’t know it was coming so when he got it I half-jokingly said HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! He looks at me and says “Do I have to buy you something, now?” Romantic! LOL

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Haha, Erin, that’s exactly what my husband would say too! Or me if it was the other way around 🙂 But yes, I can get on board with celebrating with food – any excuse to make a fun dinner and have some nice wine. And of course, making all the foods into hearts 🙂 Hope you give this dinner a try – know you’ll love that goat cheese sauce!

      Reply

  12. karrie@TastyEverAfter says

    I’m part of an old married couple too! lol! Sometimes we go out and sometimes not. This year, we aren’t going out and that’s fine by me. Love this recipe and the addition of the goat cheese. I actually have three different kind of goat cheese in my refrig right now (plain, herbed, and a goat cheese brie). Yeah, I like cheese! I’ll have to try your recipe with one of my logs 🙂

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      That’s awesome that you are so stocked with goat cheese! We love it here, too – got especially hooked when M had her milk allergy and couldn’t have cow’s milk. Hope you give this a try and let me know what you think!

      Reply

  13. Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says

    Goat’s cheese is one of my all-time favourite foods, and the fact that I love pasta goes without saying, so this yummy pasta dish is screaming my name, Kathryn! I love how you are getting into Valentine’s Day for the kids despite not being all that into it yourself – I think that’s so sweet 🙂 If little chocolate muffins and healthy chocolate pancakes are what’s being served, I think anyone could get excited about v-day, regardless of their age 😀 This would be the perfect dish to finish off a long day of cutting out paper love hearts 😉

    Reply

  14. CakePants says

    This looks like such a lovely meal! I’ve always loved lemon chicken, but never thought to add goat cheese into the mix. Those ingredients together have such a fresh, springtime feel!

    Reply

  16. Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says

    We’re not much for Valentine’s Day here either. My husband did buy me a card this year, but that is only because he was at the drugstore getting me cough drops…I had the flu for Valentine’s Day this year. Lucky me! I made a comment that I was sorry I didn’t get him one (which I never do), and he laughed and said he only picked it up because he was there for the other stuff. So much for romance. LOL We’re both pathetic. Anyway, your chicken spaghetti looks delicious…we love goat cheese!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Oh no, the flu? That’s no fun – but totally a situation where you get to receive a card and not feel guilty about not buying one 🙂 Glad we’re not the only pathetic ones out there!

      Reply

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