A quick cooking asparagus pasta with lemon and garlic butter.
For those nights when you are short a time (or just don’t feel like cooking) a spaghetti dinner can be a life saver. And just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Take this dish, which is loaded with garlicky, buttery, and lemony flavors. The asparagus is tender within minutes and already cooked chicken makes things a snap. Once the noodles are done, just toss everything together, and you are ready to eat.
Lemony Pasta with Asparagus and Chicken
They say a watched pot never boils so this recipe employs some multitasking to help you avoid that temptation. While waiting for the pasta water to boil, prepare the ingredients for the rest of the dish. Then, once the pasta hits the water, you will be ready to roll on a garlic and lemon infused butter sauce with sautéed asparagus and chicken, which cooks in about the time it takes to achieve al dente perfection. This recipe calls for cooked chicken which is ideal if you have leftovers from a rotisserie, but you could also swap in chicken sausage, or maybe even white beans for a vegetarian version. Either way it will be a weeknight delight that doesn’t compromise on flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch thick asparagus
- 1 small lemon
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 oz cooked chicken
- ½ cup parsley leaves
- 8 oz spaghetti noodles
- 4 tbsp butter cut into pieces
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. While waiting for water to boil prepare ingredients: snap off woody stems from asparagus and cut into 2-inch long pieces, zest and juice lemon, thinly slice garlic cloves, cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and chop parsley leaves. Set aside until needed.
- When water is boiling cook spaghetti per package directions for al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water then drain and return to pot.
- While pasta is cooking melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and starting to brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon.
- Add asparagus, lemon zest, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add chicken and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until asparagus is starting to brown and chicken is heated through. Remove from heat.
- Add spaghetti to pan along with garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and add some pasta water as needed to keep mixture loose. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired.
Notes
Asparagus could be swapped for another quick cooking veg like broccoli or snap peas. Chicken could be swapped for any cooked meat or sausage. White beans or chickpeas would also be excellent for a vegetarian version.
