This One Pan Chicken Thighs and Pasta recipe is a very easy 45-minute, one-pan dinner that my family absolutely loves. My trick to add bright citrus flavor to every bite of juicy chicken and creamy parmesan pasta is so simple, and it definitely earns its spot in the weeknight dinner rotation!
Our favorite lemon chicken thighs and pasta recipe
If you need a very delicious way to cook budget-friendly chicken thighs, this recipe is a must-make! It’s one of the dinners everyone in my family will eat without complaining – the creamy lemon parmesan sauce coating the pasta and the extra-juicy chicken make it a total winner!
What makes this so good is that we sear the chicken in the skillet first, then assemble the pasta in that same pan. We then nestle the chicken in the pasta and simmer everything together for the most delicious flavors! As a little trick, I like to use a vegetable peeler to peel 3-4 strips of lemon zest straight in the cooking liquid of the pasta. It adds such deep lemon flavor, amazes me every time. Plus, we finish the pasta with a little bit of heavy cream and grated parmesan cheese. For sauces, I usually only use a small amount of cream because that’s all you need – and I add it at the end, so it doesn’t curdle.
We usually add a vegetable side dish or a side salad to round out the meal – easy and perfect for a weeknight!
Top tips from my kitchen
- Sear the chicken, but don’t cook it through just yet:
When you sear the chicken at the beginning of the recipe, make sure to use medium-high heat to get a good color on the outside of the chicken – but don’t cook it through just yet.
The chicken will finish simmering in the pasta, if you sear it too long it may get a little tough and dry. - Don’t skip toasting the pasta:
Whenever I cook a small pasta shape in a one pot dish, I like to toast it lightly before adding liquids! It just adds a certain kind of… vibe. Aura. No, I’m too old for this kind of language – it’s just good and adds depth 🤷🏻♀️😂
It may be tempting to skip this on a busy weeknight, but trust me – the extra 30 seconds are worth it! - The lemon zest makes this dish:
I learned this trick from a friend about 15 years ago – a few strips of lemon zest, peeled with a vegetable peeler and discarded after cooking, add the most incredible lemon flavor to a pasta dish or a sauce! Don’t skip it if you can, just be sure to peel thinly and avoid the bitter white pith under the yellow peel. - Cover while simmering:
I don’t usually cover my one pot pasta dishes, but in this case I figured it’s necessary. I have made this recipe many times until I felt it was ready to share, and one of the big differences I’ve found in my testing is that it really needs to be covered.
Covering the pan retains more juices which means there will be more creamy sauce, so the pasta will not end up dry. It also helps the chicken to cook through in time, if you don’t cover it the chicken needs much longer than the pasta. Although I have to say – even overcooked, the pasta tastes very amazing. If my husband who cooks pasta VERY al dente agrees with this, it has to be right 😉 - Add the cream at the end:
Always add the cream at the end of the cooking time, and keep the heat at a very gentle simmer after adding it. Cooking heavy cream vigorously over a longer period, especially with something acidic like lemon added, easily leads to it splitting.
We add it at the very end, with low heat, and we whisk a little cornstarch into the cream before we stir it into the pan. This helps to further stabilize the dairy, and it also makes the sauce a little thicker for ultimate creaminess without having to add a ton of expensive heavy cream!
Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Thighs and Pasta
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
- Pasta: My family likes the small shells best in this recipe. We have also tried it with different shapes – Ditalini and Orzo both work great, too. But small shells are our favorite 🙂
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use water and chicken bouillon instead.
- Heavy cream: Don’t substitute whole milk, the lemon easily makes it curdle. If you don’t have any heavy cream on hand, I have successfully substituted cream cheese and a little extra broth.
- Seasoning: Use the seasoning you like best! You can also just season with garlic powder and dried herbs/Italian seasoning if you prefer.
Can I use a different cut of chicken?
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breast. I cut 3-4 chicken breasts in half crosswise, pound them to an even thickness, keep the searing time short and watch very closely so they don’t overcook.
Let’s Cook Chicken Thighs and Pasta!
1 Sear the chicken:
To get started on this comforting one-pan meal, you’ll want to focus on prepping your chicken for maximum flavor.
Begin by thoroughly patting the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel – this simple step is the secret to getting an amazing sear. Once dried, give them a light coating of oil and generously rub your seasoning blend all over every nook and cranny.
Next, heat up a large braiser or a deep skillet (a 3.5-quart size is absolutely perfect for this) over medium-high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, drop in the chicken and let it sear until a deep, golden-brown crust forms on both sides. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through just yet; we are just locking in those juices. Carefully transfer the seared chicken to a plate and set it aside for a few moments.
2 Sear the chicken:
With the chicken resting, turn the heat down to medium to start building your aromatic flavor base. Take a quick look at the bottom of your pan – if you see a lot of delicious browned bits stuck there, splash in one to two tablespoons of broth or water to help release them so they don’t scorch, and simmer until evaporated.
Melt your butter into the pan, then toss in the diced onion. Sauté them gently for about five minutes until they are soft, translucent, and smell amazing, then stir in the Italian seasoning and garlic powder to let the spices become fragrant.
3 Toast the pasta:
Now comes a step that adds an incredible depth of flavor: toasting the pasta. Stir your dry pasta directly into the skillet with the onions and butter, letting it toast for about 30 to 60 seconds until it smells slightly nutty.
4 Bring to a simmer:
Next, pour in the chicken broth, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any remaining flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.
Grab a vegetable peeler and take three to four bright strips of lemon zest, making sure to avoid the bitter white pith, and drop them right into the liquid (this adds SO much flavor!). Bring the whole mixture up to a boil, then immediately turn it down to a vigorous simmer.
5: Cook the chicken and pasta together:
It’s time to bring the chicken back to the party! Carefully nestle the thighs back into the skillet, keeping those perfectly browned tops sitting just above the liquid so that gorgeous crust you worked so hard on doesn’t wash away.
Cover the pan and let everything simmer together. Depending on the size of your chicken thighs and the specific pasta shape you chose, this will take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. Just be sure to gently stir between the chicken pieces a few times during the cooking process so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
You’ll know it’s ready when the pasta is perfectly tender and the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F on a digital thermometer.
6: The grand finale:
To finish the dish, lift the chicken out once more and temporarily set it aside, and pluck out and discard those strips of lemon zest.
Lower the heat to its absolute lowest setting. In a small bowl, quickly whisk together your heavy cream and cornstarch until smooth, then stir it directly into the bubbling pasta. Let it simmer on low for about 30 to 60 seconds, and watch it transform into a rich, velvety, thickened sauce!
7: Serve!
Turn off the heat and fold in the savory parmesan cheese, an optional splash of fresh lemon juice (about one to two tablespoons to wake up all the flavors), and an extra sprinkle of grated lemon zest if you love a bright citrus kick.
Slide the chicken right back onto its bed of creamy pasta, and serve it hot with a shower of fresh chopped parsley, plenty of cracked black pepper, and an extra dusting of parmesan cheese!
Got Leftovers?
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (we rarely do with this dish!), store the chicken and pasta tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
I’m not the biggest fan of leftover chicken, so to make them taste better I like to cut the cooked and chilled chicken thighs into thinnish slices and pan-sear them in a little bit of oil with extra seasoning until they are heated through and nicely seared on each side.
The pasta reheats on the stove or in the microwave – make sure to add a splash of broth because the pasta soaks up a lot of the sauce as it sits in the fridge.
What to Serve with Pasta and Chicken Thighs?
Luckily, this dish already takes care of the protein, the pasta and the sauce – so all I add on the side are some greens!
We love to add a leafy green salad with lemon vinaigrette, plus a cooked vegetable. These are our favorites here:
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Air Fryer Broccoli / Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Sautéed Zucchini (probably our favorite!)
- Roasted Summer Squash and Zucchini
One Pan Chicken Thighs and Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- garlic herb seasoning, salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped (about ¾ cup))
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (OR 2-3 cloves minced garlic)
- 1 ½ cups uncooked small pasta (small shells or orzo are our favorites)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lemon (zest and juice (divided use))
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ – ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Prep chicken: Pat dry the chicken and coat with oil. Rub with seasoning all over.1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic herb seasoning, salt and pepper
- Sear chicken: Heat a large braiser or deep skillet (mine is 3.5 quart) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear it well on both sides (it doesn’t have to fully cook through yet). Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté aromatics: Reduce the heat to medium. (If there are a lot of browned bits stuck in the pan, add 1-2 tablespoons broth or water to release them – otherwise, they may scorch and burn. Simmer until evaporated.)Melt the butter in the pan, then add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Italian seasoning and garlic powder.1 tablespoon butter, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Toast pasta: Stir the dry pasta into the skillet and toast it over medium heat for 30-60 seconds.1 ½ cups uncooked small pasta
- Add broth: Add the chicken broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 3-4 strips of lemon zest (try not to catch any of the white pith!) and add it to the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer.3 cups chicken broth, 1 lemon
- Simmer with chicken: Nestle the chicken into the skillet (I try to keep the browned tops out of the liquid so the nice browned crust doesn’t “wash off”). Simmer, covered, until the pasta is done and the chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature at the thickest part – it will take 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken thighs and the exact pasta you use.Carefully stir between the chicken a few times during the cooking time so the pasta doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Finish: Remove the chicken and set aside. Discard the pieces of lemon zest. Reduce the heat to the lowest simmer. Whisk together the heavy cream and cornstarch, then stir into the pasta.Simmer on low for 30-60 seconds, until thickened. Stir in the parmesan cheese, 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice and grated lemon zest if you like.½ cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ¼ – ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, 1 lemon
- Serve: Place the chicken back on the cooked pasta, serve with chopped parsley, cracked black pepper and grated parmesan.
Notes
- Lemon Zest Strips – Make sure to peel only the bright yellow outer skin. Avoid the white pith beneath it, as it will bleed a bitter flavor into your chicken broth as it simmers.
- To Refrigerate – Cool the chicken thighs and pasta completely, then store them together in an airtight container within two hours. Consume within 2 days.
- To Reheat – I like to cut the leftover chicken into thinnish slices and sear them in hot oil on both sides until heated through. The pasta reheats with a splash of broth in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
More Easy One Pan Dinners to Try
We love an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in one pan – and tastes absolutely delicious! If you enjoyed this chicken and pasta recipe, these one pan dinners may make it into your dinner rotation, too:
- One Pan Salsa Chicken and Rice
- Lemon Chicken Orzo
- One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- One Pan Enchilada Casserole
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
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