Simple Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken is a classic dish with a fresh clean taste, nothing says fresh and clean more than my recipe for Simple Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken utilizing fresh lemons off our tree, fresh garden grown basil, extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated Romano cheese and perfectly seasoned and grilled chicken over linguine noodles. It’s so easy to make and delicious you’re going to love it.
Here in Florida, the springtime is a whole new ball game. It’s usually sitting close to 86 degrees on an average day. Being able to eat light meals like my Simple Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken is almost a necessity at my humble home with the heat already starting to rise. Can you believe my central air is already running?
It’s a beautiful warm sunny day, which is perfect for being in the garden to tend to a few of the weeds before I pluck my gorgeous basil plant of its lovely tender green leaves and then hit up my lemon tree for fresh lemons for my recipe I will be sharing with my friend Tara’s readers today.
I love this recipe for a few reasons it’s fast, simple, and all the ingredients are fairly simple to find in any local market if you do not already have them on hand. Cooking shouldn’t be an all-day affair as I always say, “Less is sometimes more.”
Since making this recipe back in 2015, I have had a ton of compliments from readers on Facebook, Pinterest, and so forth. I can’t say enough about how simple yet delicious this recipe is. I have had readers tell me it’s also awesome with Parmesan Cheese if you do not have Ramano. So feel free to test out the other reader’s theories on the two kinds of cheese and let me know when you do.
Ingredients needed for Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken
- 3 -6- ounce grilled chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 1 pound of Linguine
- 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup of grated Romano Cheese
- 2 Fresh Lemons zested and juiced
- 2 sliced lemons
- Kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 of a cup of chopped fresh basil

Simple Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 -6-ounce- Boneless skinless Chicken Breasts Grilled
- 16 ounces Linguine
- 2/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup Grated Romano Cheese
- 2 Lemons Zested and Juiced
- 2 Sliced Lemons
- Kosher Salt To own taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper To own taste
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil Leaves torn
Instructions
- Season the 6-ounce chicken breasts with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then place on a lightly oiled grill pan that has been preheated to medium-high heat or on a preheated gas grill Grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is no running juices. Place on a serving platter to cool before cutting in thin strips. Reserve until needed
- Zest and juice the fresh lemons and place in separate small bowls and reserve until needed.
- Whisk the extra virgin olive oil, Romano cheese, lemon juice from above, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl to blend.
- Meanwhile, bring to a boil a large pot of salted water. Add the linguine noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
- Using a colander drain linguine noodles, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid
- Add the cooked linguine noodles to the lemon mixture, and lightly toss with the 1/2 of a cup of chopped basil and the fresh lemon zest from above.
- Gently toss the Linguine pasta with reserved cooking liquid 1/4 of a cup at a time. Season the linguine with more Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to own taste before serving.
- Place pasta in a pasta dish and place the grilled chicken strips on top of the linguine. Garnish with freshly sliced lemons and serve with extra grated Romano cheese and basil, if desired.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally written for my friend Tara the author of Noshing with the Nolands Blog while she was on vacation. Drop by her blog and see what she been up to for more fabulous recipes.
15 Comments
Jeff E
August 20, 2018 at 10:54 amI can’t tell you how please my wife and I were with this recipe. Simple and outstanding.
hmccallum
August 20, 2018 at 10:58 amJeff, thanks for making my day. It’s so nice to hear wonderful compliments like yours.
Have a great Day.
Peggy Sims
August 20, 2018 at 10:53 amHi, I made this recipe and we loved it. I didn’t have Romano Cheese, but I used Parmesan. It was wonderful. I stopped at the store and bought the Romano cheese because I want to taste it with the other cheese you suggested.
hmccallum
August 20, 2018 at 10:55 amHey there Ms. Peggy! Glad you enjoyed the pasta and trust me you will love the Ramano cheese too!
Myfamilymealtime (@FMealtime)
April 8, 2015 at 7:13 pmAnytime lemon and pasta come together in one bowl I am happy!
homemadefoodjunkie
April 7, 2015 at 11:45 pmThis looks so fresh and citrus rich. I love fresh basil with noodles and chicken. Getting hungry here! Must go see the recipe now!
Heidy L. McCallum
May 19, 2015 at 7:58 pmThanks Diane, it’s simple and tasty
Culinary Flavors
April 7, 2015 at 11:22 pmI love even the looks of this pasta! And indeed it shouts spring and tastiness!
Heidy L. McCallum
May 19, 2015 at 7:58 pmThank you, I love how simple and easy it is!
Hadia
April 7, 2015 at 10:26 pmI love anything with basil, Heidy, and your Simple Lemon Basil Pasta with Chicken looks so good!
Heidy L. McCallum
April 7, 2015 at 10:27 pmThank Hadia! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
The Foodie Affair
April 7, 2015 at 10:12 pmThis does look fresh and delicious with the lemon! Spring-time meal for sure! Heading over to see the recipe!
Heidy L. McCallum
April 7, 2015 at 10:25 pmThanks Sandra! It was fresh and yummy.
KC Kahn the Kitchen Chopper
April 6, 2015 at 9:58 pmSIMPLE LEMON BASIL PASTA WITH CHICKEN is my kind of dish. Love the simple part! 🙂
Heidy L. McCallum
May 19, 2015 at 8:01 pmThank you, KC I appreciate the love.