In Utah where I lived before relocating last month, there was this fantastic Mexican restaurant, locally owned and operated, and surprisingly my favorite thing to order there was pasta. Sounds strange for a Mexican restaurant whose enchiladas and chimis are out of this world, but pasta always called my name. The pasta dishes were flavorful with a little kick and I inhaled them. And I am not ashamed to admit it.
This Beach Street Linguine reminded me a lot of a pasta dish I would get at the restaurant. Talk about pasta with a kick! This dish is packed with flavor and the sauce is light and delicate, not overbearing and glumpy. Don’t let the possibility of heat scare you – if you want to cut down on the spice, reduce the Cajun seasoning to 1 1/2 teaspoons. This recipe is worth trying – we eat pasta a lot in our household and this was a great way to change things up. Healthy, delicious, and packed with fantastic flavors – I’ll be making this again for sure.
Note: This recipe requires marinating the chicken for 3-12 hours so plan ahead!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Zest from one lemon
- Juice from one lemon
- 3 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (smashed with the back of a large knife or saucepan)
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (cut this down to 1 1/2 teaspoons if you want less heat but don’t omit entirely or you will lose great flavor)
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced
Directions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly before pouring into a ziploc plastic bag. Pat chicken dry and toss in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 3-12 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat skillet over medium heat and pour contents of plastic bag (both marinade and chicken) into the skillet. Saute over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.
- Combine juice of one lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, green onions and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- While the chicken is sauteing, cook linguine in boiling salted water until done; drain and return to warm pot. Pour lemon juice/olive oil/green onion mixture over pasta and mix lightly. When chicken is finished cooking, add hot pasta mixture to the skillet with the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss in parmesan cheese. Serve warm.
Recipe Source: adapted from My Food Storage Deals
WOW (impressed look). Your Lemon Chicken looks so yummy.
Here I bought a sauce pack for Lemon Chicken so as to skip all the seasonings! and i will try this friday after work.
http://yummiexpress.freetzi.com
Well, my chicken is marinading. Should be interesting with WAY over 12 hours to marinade… extra flavor, I guess. I wanted to make it tonight, but it won’t hit the stove til 4pm tomorrow.
It’s gonna be amazing, I’m sure, just like evey other recipe I’ve tried from this site.
My pantry is stocked with stuff to make all my favorites, since most of these recipes involve stuff that you can keep around.
I’ll let you know tomorrow night how it turns out. I’m so excited to try it! I can’t wait.
I’m gonna have to create a recipe binder because my refrigerator is pretty much COVERED with recipes, most of which are from this site.
Thanks again!
Krista – I hope you liked this! Sometimes marinating chicken too long in acidity can kind of “cook” the meat, so hopefully that didn’t happen to your chicken. Thanks for being so nice in your comments – I’m glad you like the blog and recipes!
I love Cafe Sabor! Yummy, I will definitely have to make this!
Melanie, I didn’t add salt to taste at the end b/c we add lots of extra parm, but the extra sprinkle of cajun on top also added some saltiness. This way people can make it as spicy as they like. Tonight I am going to try the honey glazed chicken.
I just saw the extra Cajun seasoning on top, idea – definitely going to try that next time. As it was, this was super yummy and as usual, it was another winner with the kids. The chicken was great!!
Made this tonight and YUM! We sprinkled some extra cajun seasoning on top for some extra kick. The recipe is not spicy as written. Another fab recipe from Melanie! Keep them coming.
Melanie, I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was another winner. Thanks for screening recipes for us! Any recipe that my whole family loves right down to my three year old must be good. Miss you guys!
This looks like a great recipe. How much chicken do you use?
I just made this tonight. It is definitely THE best! Sooo good.
Anonymous – I used 2 chicken breasts, sliced (it’s written at the very bottom of the marinade list of ingredients).
There is one in Park City, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for a great recipe and restaurant recommendation!
cut down on the spice? NEVER! this sounds like a terrific dish, melanie—absolutely restaurant-quality!
Sounds amazing! Going on this weeks menu!
I can’t wait to make this—Thank you! I love anything with spice.
Rebecca – how DARING – extra cajun seasoning on top! I love that idea. Thanks!
okay, was this Cafe Rio, because now that i live in Philly, all i hear about is how good Cafe Rio is from all of my Utah friends, lol!
it looks wonderful, I love the light flavors!
This looks good! And I bet with the chicken marinating for almost 4 hours makes it even better
Yummo. Cafe Sabor is a favorite of mine, so I must try this pasta!
Thanks!
What a real summer pasta!! I so love it!!!
Yummie yum!
mmm.I love chicken prepared this way. So easy and tasty
Shanna – I saw your post on this. Your pictures (as always) are fantastic. I’m glad you liked it – thanks for letting me know!
This just went on my menu for the week! Thanks for posting it.
This looks so darn yummy! I looked online and saw that there is a Cafe Sabor in Logan. My sister lives there, so next time we visit I’ll have to try it.
Jacob and Shayla Bentley – hey there, thanks for the compliment. I’m glad you are excited about some of the recipes here.
As far as the lemon zest, the best (and freshest way) to get it is to buy fresh lemons and grate the peel from the lemon. The very first layer of yellow peel is the zest (don’t grate too far down on the lemon or you’ll get the white pithy stuff that is bitter). You can use a fine grater (my box grater has a pretty fine side to it) or the my favorite way to harvest the zest is to use a microplane grater (you can find them at any kitchen supply store and they don’t cost very much). I use my microplane all the time for lemon and lime zest, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, etc.
On the garlic issue, yes you can substitute minced garlic if you don’t want to mess with whole cloves. I don’t use the pre-minced garlic so I’m not sure how potent it is, but I’m sure it can be substituted.
First off, I LOVE YOUR SIGHT! Secondly, I am new to this whole cooking business and unfamiliar with how to obtain lemon zest. Do you just grate the peel somehow? Also, if I don’t want to deal with garlic cloves can I use minced garlic, and approximately how much?
Valerie – glad you liked this. Thanks for letting me know.
yum! I’ll have to add that recipe to my menu soon!!
Is Old Bay seasoning the same as cajun seasoning, and is this by any chance similar to Cafe Rio pasta? Because that would make my hubby so happy.
This sounds so good and fresh with the lemon! We love pasta too and I’m always looking for new ways to fix it…We love a little spice, so this will be great, thanks!
Sarah – hey, we miss you, too! I’m glad you liked this. I like it when I see your comments – it makes me homesick and happy at the same time!
i have been reading your blog for a long time and have loved all the recipes i have tried. i knew you lived in logan but didn’t gather until now that you might have been in cache valley, am ir ight? that pasta looks so yummy! and i love love love cafe sabor. you should recreate the pollo durango and then i would marry you! i guess cafe sabor just opened up in bear lake too.
For all those that have asked about the restaurant – it isn’t Cafe Rio. It is called Cafe Sabor and is a local restaurant, not a chain so it isn’t anywhere but there. I wish it were so everyone could experience it!
Heather – I’m pretty sure Old Bay is not the same thing as cajun seasoning, but I’m not positive. If it says Old Bay cajun seasoning it is probably interchangeable but I would just make sure that it says cajun seasoning somewhere (I have the McMormick brand of cajun seasoning).
I made this the other week finally. Delicious! I used Tony Cachere’s (sp?) for the cajun seasoning. I’ve passed the recipe on to my sister and sister-in-law. After you get the chicken in to marinade, the recipe’s a breeze at dinnertime! Thanks again for a great recipe!
Julia – I’m so glad that you have enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for letting me know. I, too, love those dinners that are a breeze when it is crunch time.
I made this for dinner tonight and we LOVED it. Any fun ideas for a side dish? We did garlic bread but I felt like it was too much of a “carbo load.” My husband suggested fruit salad?
Melissa – I’m glad you liked this! Usually when I make it, I serve it with a fresh green salad and breadsticks.
Wow, this was a-MAZE-ing!! The marinade is just so yummy. I’m so glad I get to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
Hi Evelyn – thanks for letting me know that you liked this meal. Isn't it the best when you get to look forward to good leftovers??
We had this for dinner tonight and loved it. I love it when I can make part of the meal in the morning (the chicken marinade) and then quickly throw the rest together in the evening. It works out much better with little kids! Thanks for the great recipe.
Lucy – I agree, those quick meals (prep ahead of time) are awesome and I’m glad you liked this one!
And we have another winner! This was so good. Perfect for a light summer dinner. Everyone time I need a great recipe I hit your site, Mel. What should I try next?
Gia – so glad you liked this. I hope you find a winner in the next recipe you try, also!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! The hubby said he cant wait for the leftovers tomorrow for lunch! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
paramedichick06 – isn’t it great when a meal is good enough that you (or your husband!) is already looking forward to leftovers? Thanks for letting me know this was a hit!
I just wanted to say thank you (again). This is one of our favorites. I absolutely love this recipe. Great combination of flavors and super easy to pull together.
Melissa – your comment reminds me I need to make this soon! Glad you loved it!
[...] our house, so I am always looking for new recipes. I found this Lemon Chicken Pasta recipe over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and knew I had to give it a try. Melanie said that it is packed with delicious flavor, and I will [...]
I just made this tonight and it is soooooo good. We went back for seconds and I am definitely adding this to my rotation. I seriously have to thank you for this blog because every.single.recipe that I make of yours is outstanding! I really trust this site the most and am grateful you share your recipes, because they our turning into our family’s favorite recipes and will be served in our household for years to come. THANK YOU.
Amazing! I loved this. I made it with bow tie pasta because it’s easier for my kids to eat. I threw in some shredded Parmesan as well…it looks from the picture that you did too. I put in about 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning and I thought it was perfect but my kids kept saying their mouth was on fire. They do that with mild salsa though. I may try a little less Cajun seasoning next time just to see if the lemon stands out more. And to put out the mouth fires.
. Thanks for yet another winner, Mel.
i made this pasta tonight and it was so so good. i didnt have parsley so i used cilantro and it really turned out well. i will definately make again.
How much would I sub the fresh parsley with dry parsley? Excited to try this.
Bri – I’d say probably about a tablespoon of dried parsley.
So I made this for probably the 10th time tonight. It is everyone’s favorite!!! I have the pickiest kids and they love it. Thanks again Mel for another wonderful recipe.
We tried this a while ago, and we ended up not loving it…until the next day. I loved the leftovers, and wanted to give it another try. Just made this tonight and only used the 1.5 teaspoon instead of tablespoon of the cajun spice. All 3 of us absolutely LOVED it this time. It made it so the lemon was the strongest flavor instead of the cajun which I loved. It is such a yummy and easy meal. I will make this over and over and over. Thanks a million!
Mel, you strike again. Excellent recipe. My pasta-hating husband even ate it. Thanks!