Chicken cooked on the grill is by far my favorite way to eat it. This summer my boyfriend and I have used the outdoor grill more than ever before because we’ve been blessed to live in the most magical beach house. Something about being surrounded by the crisp ocean air and having the sun all around you and everywhere on your skin makes you want to eat and cook outside.
One night when I was trying to figure out what to make for supper I discovered some boneless chicken breasts in the freezer. It had been a minute since I’d had some pasta, and I decided to thaw out the chicken, grill it, and whip up a delicious lemon sauce à la my boyfriend’s seafood sauce recipe, and created this grilled lemon chicken pasta. The end result? A savory meal that can be enjoyed any time of the year. Keep on reading to learn the full recipe, and make this for your next meal in.
Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta:
RECIPE TYPE:
Lunch/Dinner
DIETARY INFO:
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
YIELDS:
About 4 Servings
Ingredients:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup dairy-free/vegan butter (I use SmartBalance or Earth Balance)
- 8 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 tsp garlic salt (add more as needed)
- 1 ½ tbs minced garlic
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 4 lb grilled boneless skinless chicken breast (about 4 oz per breast)*
- 14 oz gluten-free penne pasta (about 1 1/4 boxes)
- Medium-large pan and medium pot (for sauce)
- Large pot (for pasta)
- 2 wooden/heat-safe spoons (to stir)
- Strainer (for pasta)
- Outdoor grill (or something equivalent)**
*The grilled chicken does not have to be exactly 4 lb or 4 oz per breast; this is an approximation based on the amount of servings this recipe typically yields. You may use less or more.
**If grill is unavailable, try baking it in pan on stovetop or in oven.
Instructions:
GRILLED CHICKEN:
- Take thawed chicken and season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Drizzle 1 tsp lemon juice over chicken. Place on grill over medium-high heat.
- Cook for 15 minutes then flip.
- Cook for another 15 minutes, then remove one piece of chicken and cut into it to check how cooked it is on the inside.
- Note: there should be no pink in the middle or anywhere in the chicken at all, and skin of chicken should look almost crispy from grill.
- If chicken is cooked through fully: remove other chicken breasts from grill and turn grill off.
- If chicken needs more time: place back on grill and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Check again. Repeat for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through fully. Turn off grill once chicken is done cooking.
- Cut chicken into long slices horizontally.
HOW-TO:
- For the pasta: fill large pot about 3/4 of the way with water. Add in some salt. Place on stovetop and turn burner on high. While water heats up, begin working on sauce.
- For the sauce: in medium pot, combine 1 cup of butter, 1 tbs of olive oil, 3 tsp of lemon juice, 1 tbs minced garlic, 1/3 tsp garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Place on separate stove top and turn burner on high heat. Let butter melt completely, then stir.
- Once butter is completely melted, lower heat to medium, then add in 2 tsp lemon juice and a tiny bit of garlic salt (should be to taste!). Stir a couple more times, then turn heat on low and cover pot.
- Once water is boiling: add in gluten-free penne and some more salt. Stir once, then set timer for desired amount of time (I always go for the lowest amount of time needed because I like my pasta al dente). Keep heat on high as long as water is not overflowing.
- Once pasta is cooking: transfer sauce from pot to medium-large pan. Place pan on same burner sauce pot was previously on, and add in 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp lemon juice, and some more salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to medium.
- Note: this transfer is important because it cooks the garlic more and allows the flavor to really set in to the sauce.
- Keep sauce on medium heat until it begins sizzling, then reduce heat to lowest setting and add in 1/4 cup butter and 1 tsp lemon juice . Stir a couple times, then cover.
- Once pasta is done cooking: turn off burner, remove immediately, and strain. Pour back into pot and cover—do not put pot back on hot burner because it will cook the pasta more!
- Remove pan with sauce from stove and turn burner off.
- Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Cover pot when done.
- Add desired amount of lemon pasta into bowl and place chicken slices on top.
- Serve and enjoy.
