Beach Street Lemon Chicken Pasta
One of my favorite pasta dishes ever, this Beach Street lemon chicken pasta is amazing! It comes together fast with incredible flavor!
If this Beach Street lemon chicken pasta hasn’t been part of your regular dinner rotation, now is the time to change that!
Packed with delicious, interesting flavors, this simple pasta dish is easy and fast, which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight.
BUT, it’s also amazing enough for company or as a weekend “fun” meal. With all the bright, fresh flavors, it tastes like something straight out of your favorite restaurant.
Simple, simple, simple
The idea behind this stellar pasta dish is really simple:
- marinated chicken
- cooked pasta tossed with lemon + green onions + parsley
- healthy dose of Parmesan cheese
The chicken marinade packs a ton of flavor into this dish.
Hints of brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and Cajun seasoning (so yummy!) pair perfectly with the main notes of fresh lemon juice.
The chicken can marinate for as little as an hour, but it really benefits from at least 6-7 hours (and can marinate as long as overnight).
All of it (chicken and marinade) dumps into a hot skillet to cook JUST until the chicken is tender. Over medium-high heat, the chicken pieces will cook pretty quickly. Think: 4-5 minutes max. Don’t overcook the chicken!
Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta and then toss it with that zesty, bright mixture of lemon juice, zest, green onions and parsley. You can use linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine. And I’m sure it would work great with tube pasta, too.
Then dump the pasta into the skillet with the cooked chicken and marinade. It won’t be overly saucy – there will probably just be a little bit of marinade/sauce on the bottom of the skillet.
But the flavor in that simmered down marinade is concentrated and deeeeelicious!
Toss it all together!
Serve the finished pasta with a good amount of parmesan cheese!
Such an unassuming dish, this Beach Street lemon chicken pasta has been a regular part of our dinners for over ten years.
I love when pasta dishes include a little lemon, but this dish is extra unique thanks to the kick of Cajun seasoning. You can dial that up or down as needed, but don’t leave it out! It’s essential.
Light and refreshing, this is definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time.
What To Serve With This:
5-minute skillet broccoli or roasted asparagus
Divine breadsticks
One Year Ago: Tuna Quesadilla Melts {20-Minute Meal}
Two Years Ago: Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Three Years Ago: Best Italian Pasta Salad {With Quick Homemade Italian Dressing}
Four Years Ago: Double Chocolate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Five Years Ago: Whole Grain Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins
Six Years Ago: My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie
Seven Years Ago: Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Creamy Dipping Sauce
Eight Years Ago: Blueberry Coconut Cake with Lemon Sauce
Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguine
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 1 pound linguine, spaghetti or fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, from 1 medium lemon
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1-2 medium lemons
- 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Marinade:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (see note)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2-3 medium lemons
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2-inch strips or bite-size pieces
Instructions
- For the marinade, combine the olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, cajun seasoning, lemon juice, parsley, and soy sauce. Toss the marinade and chicken together in a shallow dish or ziploc bag. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 12 (better flavor the longer it marinades).
- For the pasta, combine juice of one lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, green onions and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot off the heat. Pour the lemon juice/olive oil/green onion mixture over pasta and toss lightly to combine.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add the marinade AND the chicken to the skillet, moving the chicken pieces so they are in a single layer. Cook over medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the skillet with the chicken OR pour the chicken and cooked marinade over the pasta in the pot (whichever will fit the mixture best). Toss with Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Deals to Meals
Originally posted July 2009; updated May 2020 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
195 Comments on “Beach Street Lemon Chicken Pasta”
Another winner winner chicken dinner!,
You used to have a recipe for Cajun seasoning in your notes. Now it just says one teaspoon. Is there another place I can find it? Thanks for you amazing recipes! They save me every week!
Hmmm, I don’t remember having a homemade cajun seasoning recipe…but you can google some quick homemade cajun seasonings if you need that version! I did quick google search and a pretty common mix includes 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon each of pepper, onion powder, oregano, cayenne and a pinch of thyme.
I just ate leftovers for lunch and threw some chopped fresh tomatoes and crumbled bacon on top. DELISH! Definitely worth trying!
This is SO SO good!!! All of the extra steps are worth it- this is a new family favorite and we are making it often! Thanks for continuing to share your awesome and delectable creations with all of us!
just made this again, and it was delicious once again. I’m thinking now that it doesn’t even need the chicken. Stir up the marinade and cook it down a bit, cook the pasta and add its sauce, then stir everything together. I’m going to try that. However, I happened to see the lemon spinach pasta and that looks great also. Have to try them both. And then there’s the pasta with sundried tomatoes. Fortunately, pasta is my favorite dish.
Made this tonight without chicken. Sauce is fantastic as always, but possibly a little overpowering for pasta by itself. So I’m going to add peas to the leftovers and I think that will tone it down just enough.
RAVE reviews from my whole family! Kids (age 2 up to 12) and husband all LOVED it and asked for multiple servings. We’re on first name basis with you in our house— your recipes are that well loved.
Yay, Heather! Thank you!
My family and I loved this dish. I actually tweaked it and used gluten free pasta. It still turned out Amazing!! Love the Cajun spice in the chicken marinade. Gives it the perfect amount of flavor without too much heat. Nicely done! Thank you for sharing.
Made this twice now with shrimp and my family loves it. We were cautious with the Cajun seasoning but there wasn’t much heat. We’ll try the full tablespoon next time.
The first time I made this dish, I got distracted and accidentally used cilantro in the marinade instead of parsley. Once I got to the pasta part of the recipe where you add more parsley, I realized my error with the marinade. I was rather distraught until I tasted it; it was delicious!
The next time I made it, I stayed focused and followed the recipe to a T. To my surprise, it wasn’t quite as good.
Tonight I made it, and did the cilantro recipe on purpose, and it was divine. Long story short, sometimes a kitchen oops can become a kitchen oh my!
Incredible! Thank you for the recipe
That’s good to know, Melissa! I’ll try it with cilantro soon!
Very flavorful and super easy recipe. The combination of Cajun seasoning and soy sauce works surprisingly well! I ran out of fresh lemons so wasn’t able to add the zest to the pasta and I think that would have added just the right amount of “zing” so make sure you don’t omit! I think next time I would marinate the chicken for about 6 hours given the acidity of the marinade, it can end up toughening the chicken the longer it marinates. Just my preference.
Wow! This dish tastes fantastic! I delivered this dish to my Mom and Dad as well as my sister in law’s Mom and both texted me how good it was. Also made more for our family.
Another great recipe, Mel! Surprised it took me so long to see this recipe and give it a try.
Mel, I have commented on this recipe before so will not leave another review but I must say after 2 years of making it almost every other week–I would give it more than 5 stars if I could! I make it so often I am at the stage where I no longer need to measure anything and just make it entirely by memory and it never fails to excite.
I wanted to share a few things I sometimes tinker with in case it will interest you or any other reader who want to mix it up!
-My go to is actually chicken thighs: I know you Mel is not a huge fan of chicken thighs but I find they work a bit better–a bit more forgiving if you cook the marinade for too long!
-I recently tried removing the chicken altogether and replacing it with a firm tofu. The marinade worked great with it! Might be worth trying if you ever want to make it vegetarian.
-I love garlic and sometimes I mince some garlic and toss it into the zest/lemon juice mixture–that way you get a mix of the delicious cooked garlic in the marinade with a bit of fresh garlic kick. This obviously changes the flavour profile quite a bit so I would definitely recommend trying it Mel’s way first but if you like garlic and the recipe, you might want to try it!
Thank you again Mel!
Hi James! Always love reading your comments and hearing from you. Thanks for including new notes and variations in this comment. I’m so happy you continue to love this recipe. I bet it’s amazing with chicken thighs. I love the flavor and juiciness of chicken thighs, but for some reason, I don’t love cooking with them (and trimming them) but I think I will for this recipe with your recommendation!
I made this recipe for the first time and it was SO delicious!!! I used some leftover chicken (sort of like a rotisserie). I added the green onions to the marinade and threw the shredded (already) cooked chicken into marinade for about an hour. I also substituted coconot sugar for brown sugar, liquid aminos for soy sauce, and gluten free pasta. I have seriously not had anything this delicious in a LONG time!!! Thanks for keeping the yummy recipes coming! You are my favorite recipe site! Even though I have many that I love, I always come here first, and have never been disappointed!
Love it! I used Taco Loco seasoning instead of Cajun. Ketchup and salt, with steak sauce instead of soy sauce.
Why is it called Beach Street?
I’m honestly not sure, but I think I heard once it was made at a restaurant with that name. Could be a myth, not sure.
I rarely comment on blogs, but I keep meaning to on yours! You are for sure my go-to when it comes to needing good recipes and you never disappoint! Thanks for another amazing recipe, I seriously am obsessed with this simple, easy pasta dish!!! I am hoarding all the leftovers for myself! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Aubree! Glad you like this one!
My husband isn’t a pasta guy, so we don’t make it nearly as often as I’d like, but this recipe impressed everyone in the family. We marinated the chicken overnight, and the flavor combination was unreal. Not your average lemon chicken. We will be making this again and often – thanks Mel!
Cut back on the oil in the marinade and not a fan of parsley so left it out. Otherwise followed recipe. Absolutely delicious. I’m by myself so I’ll be enjoying this a couple days. I needed a new recipe to inspire me thanks!!!!
Hi Mel!
Have you ever doubled or tripled this recipe and how did it work? Was wondering if you’d need a separate skillet for each recipe. Thanks!!
Hi Jana, I have doubled it (and used my larger electric skillet)
I tried this a few months ago and have made it many times since. It is SO GOOD!!
Thank you.
I made this recipe tonight, and WOW! It is amazing. Definitely a must try! I asked my husband how he liked it and he said “it’s phenomenal. Might even be a new favorite”
we love,love, love this dish! I have to make it every other week! It’s so simple and sooo delicious! My family of 7 eats the whole dish in one sitting. I usually forget to marinade the chicken and I’ve cooked the chicken in the sauce without marinading it first and it turns out fine.
Yummy
I love the flavors and the little bit of kick. Such a great recipe with simple ingredients!
Loved this so much, I told everyone in my family they also need to make it. It’s different, l and yummy. A perfect light summer pasta.
This was good, my husband and son loved it! I was worried about the amount of oil but decided it’s not an everyday kinda meal. I would cut down on the Cajun seasoning a little next time. My tongue is tingling
Thanks for the review, Stacey!
This was a surprising hit in my house! I have some picky eaters and all 5 of us loved this one! Great flavor combination with the lemon and the cajun seasoning, fantastic quick weeknight dinner!
Just finished having this for dinner! Everyone loved it, including my toddler! I was a bit nervous about the lemon tasting too strong but the amounts are perfect.
Thanks, Liz!
I found this through aquiltinglife – delicious! Will definitely make it again, maybe a little more cajun seasoning is the only change I would make!
Thanks, Janette!
I think I am one of the few that was not in love. Sorry. I am a big-time lemon lover so I’ve been excited to try this recipe. I questioned the amount of oil but I trust Mel! I don’t know, maybe the soy sauce seemed overpowering here? It just was lacking something. And sincerely, EVERY OTHER Mel’s Kitchen Cafe recipe is a winner!
That’s ok, Nina! Sorry this one was a miss for you.
I’ve been collecting some favorite recipes for my son’s fiancée, and he asked me to add this one to the box! Thanks for another winner
I was a little hesitant about this because I’m not a huge fan of strong lemon flavor, but it was AMAZING! I’m really glad I gave it a chance. My whole family loved it (which is a miracle!) and my husband proclaimed that he was stuffed after eating so much of it! Definitely a winner!!
I’m glad you gave it a chance, too. Thanks for letting me know, Stacie!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make. I Am having leftovers tonight and made extra chicken marinade to add to the spaghetti. Thanks for another great recipe Mel.
Thanks, Ann!
Way to think ahead, Ann! Glad you loved this one!
Yummy! Very bright lemon taste, my husband loved… I may cut down the amount of lemon juice next time!
Thanks, Bridget!
Delicious. Also very fast to throw together once the chicken was prepped and marinating. I used thigh pieces because that’s what we prefer and also scaled back the oil in the marinade to 2 tbsp, it was perfect. And, ahem, just to confess at the ripe old age of 39 this is the first time I’ve ever marinated meat. I’m usually just too disorganised but today I followed the instructions and feel like I’m a proper grown up!
Proud of you, Claire! 🙂
Delicious! I used some diced rotisserie chicken and let it sit in the marinade for about an hour. I cooked the chicken in the sauce just to get it heated through and the flavors to blend–had plenty of sauce to pour over the pasta, but it wasn’t overpowering. So grateful that it used ingredients I had on hand, so I could throw it together for a fast, easy, rockstar meal! Looking forward to enjoying leftovers tomorrow!
Thanks for including details on using a rotisserie chicken!
Mel. Mel. Mel. After quarantine, my kids will never want to go back to the working mom who ends up in the drive-through or with frozen cooked nuggets or taquitos way too often. (Almost) every day I make something from your site because I know that it will be not only edible but delicious! This was no exception. I doubled it because, well, with 7 kids I double everything, and since my husband wasn’t home from work that night, it gave me enough to serve it again! It was so yummy I was dreaming about it and what I would do with the leftovers.
The second day, since leftover pasta is always dry, I added some half and half (since I was out of heavy whipping cream) when I heated it up and it turned into a unique and yummy alfredo! So, if you’re reading this, make this, it’s delicious, and if you do, double it and the second night make it into alfredo! 🙂 Thanks again for another great meal! 🙂
Love this review, Allison! Thank you!! I love the addition of some creaminess to the leftovers.
Oh my goodness! This recipe was packed with so much flavor! My husband loved this and said, “Wow! It’s like a party in my mouth!” We made it for the first time tonight and it was a huge hit. I used all of the cajun spice and I’m so glad I did. It had just enough heat to make it so flavorful with a little kick. We are from New Mexico, so we are used to the extra heat and kick. Thank you for this delicious recipe! Your recipes are becoming a great part of our family memories. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Carol!
A new love! Thank you for this. We are kind of wimps (okay, maybe it’s just me) so I just did a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, but by popular request, we’ll do a full tablespoon the next time. Yum!
So happy you liked it!
Delicious! I made this tonight, and it’s now one of my favorite meals now. It reminded me of a delicious restaurant meal at home. I’ll definitely make this in the future probably on a weekend.
Thanks for the review, Laura!
What are your thoughts on grilling the chicken and then boiling the leftover marinade to use as a sauce (reducing the marinade and killing anything the raw meat left in there)?
I think that would work great!
When I first made this I grilled my chicken just because grilled chicken makes anything better. I wasn’t wrong in this recipe. It was delicious!
This was a great recipe – both my girls and husband loved it! I’ve been following you for years (your baked sweet and sour chicken was the first recipe I made) but this was the first time I felt the need to comment on a recipe. I too love lemon and was intrigued by the combination in the marinate. The only change I made was to swap out fresh pasta for dried because we prefer fresh and I have making a 1 pound batch down to a science and can get it made quickly. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment, Michaela! I’m so glad you loved this one – I can only imagine how incredible it was with fresh pasta!
I’ve made this for dinner several times now and it’s so delicious! It has even won over my third grader who is normally very suspicious of green onions and “chopped up leaves” in his food – he will eat thirds of this, not even noticing!
I hate to be a downer, but I actually came back looking for suggestions to “fix” it. My husband and I just weren’t fans – the lemon overpowered everything, and there just wasn’t a lot of flavor. Maybe I marinated the chicken too long? But now we have tons of leftovers that we’re trying to work our way through. I added a little ginger and honey, trying to balance the acid, but it’s not quite right either. Any other suggestions?
Hi Laura, sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. Sounds like it might be just a matter of taste preference – as a lemon lover, I can’t get enough. You could try adding some heavy cream or other dairy-type ingredient to mellow the flavors.
Great idea! Thanks Mel. Generally I love your recipes. I always suggest your blog when people are looking for recipes, and it’s my first choice too. So thank you!
Okay, where has this been all my life?! It is so delicious. I haven’t seen my husband enjoy fourths and fifths on a meal in a very long time, if ever! Thanks for this one – it’s a keeper in our family for sure.
Haha, that’s awesome!
We have been loving this for years now! I don’t think the pictures show how really juicy and delicious the sauce ( marinade) is. This is one of my favorite meals!
I agree – it’s quite a bit saucier (a thin sauce) than the pictures do it justice!
We had this for dinner tonight and it got the stamp of approval from my whole family. Even my pasta hating husband and daughter said it was good. I did only use 2 tbsp of oil in the marinade and the 2 tbsp tossed with the pasta to save some calories. I didn’t miss the extra oil. I also mixed in some zucchini noodles and the flavor was still awesome. This was a pretty quick meal and it will definitely go into my meal rotation.
Thanks for the review, Jamie!
This looks amazing! It’s going on the menu right now. Sadly, I have never used Cajun seasoning before. Is it just with the spices, labeled Cajun seasoning? Embarrassing question, but I had to ask!
Yes, it should be in most grocery stores in the spice aisle – but there have been some awesome recent comments of people making their own, too!
This is delicious! Like you need to make it, delicious! I only had about 40 min for the chicken to marinate and it was still full of flavor. I also used rotini (because that’s what I had… plus easier for little fingers to handle) and it turned out so yummy. Thanks Mel!
I love how easy this dish is to vary (like with the type of pasta and marinating time) – glad you loved it, Laurel!
Absolutely scrumptious! This is definitely a new family favorite.
Thanks, Natalie!
Straight into the summer dinner rotation this goes! Great leftovers, too
I agree – leftovers are SO good!
This is a great recipe! Your description above is perfect: it is full of interesting flavours but it is also very light and refreshing. Very simple to make too. A wonderful summer time meal. Will definitely be making it again.
Thanks, James!
Mel since posting that review, I have made it three more times! It’s practically in the weekly rotation! It might be my all-time favourite (well, after your donuts, but that’s not even fair)
Haha. Yeah, donuts and pasta…two different worlds. So happy you love both. Thanks, James!
Is 1/2 cup of olive oil necessary in the marinade? Seems like quite a bit.
Also, has anyone experimented with marinading the chicken for more than 24 hours vs 6-7 hours? I am wondering if there will be a difference?
You can experiment with different amounts of olive oil.
My husband couldn’t get enough of this – I went easy on the lemon because my family aren’t huge fans of the flavor, also used minimum Cajun but if I were making it just for me and hubby – I’d use full amount. Loved it!
Thanks for letting me know!
Packed with flavor! I made my own Cajun Spice mix it contains cayenne pepper, salt, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, pepper, and onion powder. Loves this recipe Mel!
Thanks, Michele!
This looks delicious! If I don’t have fresh parsley, would dried work?
Yes, just use a pinch or two. The flavor won’t quite be the same (so promise me you’ll try it with fresh parsley at some point! 🙂
Parmesan cheese…all the ones I purchase from the store do not melt well. Like traders Joe’s refrigerated grated cheese…some of the bigger grated pieces require you to really bite on to break them down and texture is rubbery-ish? Also, Kroger’s brand shredded Parm has a plastic rubber texture too. Does anyone have better experience with parmesan cheese? If I remember correctly, I really like the freshly shredded version olive garden offers on your salad or soup. It melts nicely. Maybe it’s the shredder I need?
As with any cheese, using a block of Parmesan and grating it yourself is so much better than using pre-shredded. It will make all the difference! Pre-shredded cheese has extra ingredients added to prevent caking and that interferes with texture and melt-ability. You don’t have to have a fancy shredder; you can just use a fine cheese grater.
Good idea! I will start buying blocks of cheese instead and grate them. I suppose dirtying up another dish is way better than chewing on rubbery cheese . Thank you!
I don’t know if this suggestion will be approved by all of the serious cooks here, but I use my food processor to “grate” cheese. Cut the block of cheese into smallish chunks, take the chunks for a spin. You get pebbles of cheese instead of slivers, but they’re small and they sprinkle and melt well. Much faster and I don’t grate my knuckles.
Great idea, Margaret!
Hi Margaret, that’s exactly how Ina Garten grates her parmesan, and she is as serious a cook as anyone else I can think of! If it’s good enough for Ina, it’s definitely good enough for me! 🙂
Hey Elle, adding my thoughts to the others about using pre shredded cheese vs already shredded cheese. For recipes where the cheese really shines, it does help to grate it yourself because the texture will be so much better.
I agree that pre-shredded parm is the worst. Grating your own as others have suggested is the best way to go. HOWEVER, in a pinch or on days when I just can’t dirty another dish, pre-GRATED parm is a good sub. Not the Kraft kind in a green jar. But the real parm that’s grated always melts ok for me and has far superior flavor than shredded.
If i remember correctly, OG uses Pecorino Romano; looks like Parm but has a stronger flavor.
This recipe caught my eye and we just tried it. Really really good! My husband said that it was restaurant quality.. We didn’t have any Cajun seasoning, so rather than have one more little jar sitting around, I made my own using this recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26258870/cajun-seasoning-spice-recipe/.
I have been practicing making my own pasta, and I’m very close to perfecting it. Happy happy happy all around!
Fantastic idea to make your own seasoning, Margaret! Thanks for sharing! Also, total rock star points on homemade pasta. That’s amazing!
Made this for supper tonight and another recipe that didn’t let us down.
It was easy to prep, did that in the morning and then the final cooking step went together very easily. Even the two picky kids ate it. Loved the flavor of the entire dish.
Thanks, Mary!
What is a good brand of Cajun season?
I made my own using this recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26258870/cajun-seasoning-spice-recipe/
We liked it.
I usually just pick up the McCormick brand.
I made my own too using the recipe on Allrecipes. You get to control the salt ratio and the heat index. It was wonderful! I am now going to be sprinkling it on many things as it has the right combo to get your taste buds happy without added fat.
This was SO good! My whole family loved it.
Thanks for letting me know, Carey!
Oh man!! This is amazing!!! Way too good.
Glad you loved it!
I love this meal! I first found it on Deals to Meals years ago. It’s so different and delicious!
Glad you love it, Diane!
I am loving the old recipes becoming “new” again. Thank you for all the yummy goodness!
Thanks so much, Heather!
This is one of my top 5 all-time favorite meals! SO good!
This is one of the best!!!
Thanks for always reminding me about it, Bri!
So happy to hear that, Evelyn!
This recipe definitely deserves a re-post! It is so dang good. And even better as leftovers! This is my mom’s favorite meal that I make, and I make a lot of great meals(most of them are yours!) I only do half the amount of cajun seasoning, and I use whole wheat liguine. This is the only pasta meal I’ve ever made where I prefer whole wheat pasta! Thank you so very much for all you do. This quarantine has me and my sisters (including allie) Marco poloing throughout the day, and much of the conversations are about what we are going to cook that night. You are the topic of conversation daily on our “Heeeyyyy girls” marco polo group! I’m sure grateful for you Mel!
Haha, love that, Bri! I wish I was part of that chat! 🙂 I’m definitely planning a repost of this one – thanks for reminding me of it!
I’m so glad i found this recipe. My mom used to make it all the time (it was the most requested dinner item for a loooong time!) She had the recipe written down but I’ve been craving it lately and couldn’t find her recipe. I found this and tried it – perfect! Brings back so many memories so thank you so much! It wouldn’t surprise me if she actually got the recipe from your website originally. Whenever we want to try a new recipe we get it here because after all these are tried and true recipes, baby 🙂
Just sitting here enjoying last nights leftovers: your Beach Street Lemon chicken. I love this meal. I mean I loooooooove this meal! It is, hands down, my favorite of all your recipes (and I’ve been around a long time, since you were “My Kitchen Cafe”). It’s the chicken marinade that makes it so amazing. Anyway, thanks for all your amazing recipes and everything you do for your blog!
I need to make this SOON, Evelyn! It’s been a while!
This is one of our family’s favorite recipes. I make it whenever I’m bringing dinner to someone, and I even tripled it last year and had all our cousins over for dinner. My daughter just had a friend over for dinner and LOVED it, and asked me to send her mom the recipe too. YUM!
Family favorite. I make this for lake Powell every year feeding 25+ people!
What?? That’s awesome! I love this recipe – I need to give it a refresh so others can share in the love.
We had this last night for dinner and I grilled the chicken instead of pan frying as usual. It was like a whole new dish! We love it both ways, but I think I’ll be grilling the meat from now on. My husband and the Elders loved it! This recipe should be resurrected so more people can know about it. 😉 It’s a perfect light summer dinners.
I love the new look of your site too, by the way! It’s so user friendly and just looks clean.
I just popped on to print this recipe out again since my poor recipe book had a tragic accident recently, and I thought I should comment since this is a long-standing favorite of ours. I started making it in 2009 when you posted it, and we were just little newlyweds…seven years later and it’s still a favorite!
Several of your recipes are our favorite recipes, and when I find a new recipe to try, I always check to see if you have anything similar. You’re my go-to!
Also, in my head we’re friends. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your talents!
This is one of my favorites, too! Thanks for such a sweet comment. 🙂
I am pretty sure that I have written at least four comments on how much I love this pasta. Well, here I am again!
This is such a staple in our house. I had to skip the marinating last week when we had unexpected guests. I ended up just mixing the marinade together and throwing it on the skillet. I couldn’t believe that I actually thought the chicken turned out a little more tender and flavorful. I will leave it to the experts to figure out why but thought I would share this with team Mel.
I love your blog! Your Mom’s Fabulous lasagna is on my meal plan this week.
This is the best pasta dish. We absolutely love it and make it over and over again.
This recipe is awesome! I have been making this recipe for months now. My whole family loves it. A miracle 🙂 It’s become our regular Sunday dinner. It’s even great leftover. I cut back a bit on the marinating time because it gets a bit intense for my 5 year old. I do it for about 2 hours.
This is my husband’s favorite meal of all time, ever! He requests it like every 2 weeks and always recommends it for when we are having guests. It is always a hit with them as well. Thanks, Mel! You have yet to disappoint. My whole extended family uses your blog as a go-to now as well!
Mel, you strike again. Excellent recipe. My pasta-hating husband even ate it. Thanks!
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!
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.
Bri – I’d say probably about a tablespoon of dried parsley.
How much would I sub the fresh parsley with dry parsley? Excited to try this.
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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??
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!!
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.
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 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!
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 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.
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!
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!
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.
yum! I’ll have to add that recipe to my menu soon!!
Valerie – glad you liked this. Thanks for letting me know.
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?
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.
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.
This just went on my menu for the week! Thanks for posting it.
Shanna – I saw your post on this. Your pictures (as always) are fantastic. I’m glad you liked it – thanks for letting me know!
mmm.I love chicken prepared this way. So easy and tasty
What a real summer pasta!! I so love it!!!
Yummie yum!
Yummo. Cafe Sabor is a favorite of mine, so I must try this pasta!
Thanks!
This looks good! And I bet with the chicken marinating for almost 4 hours makes it even better 🙂
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!
Rebecca – how DARING – extra cajun seasoning on top! I love that idea. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make this—Thank you! I love anything with spice. 🙂
Sounds amazing! Going on this weeks menu!
cut down on the spice? NEVER! this sounds like a terrific dish, melanie—absolutely restaurant-quality!
There is one in Park City, I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for a great recipe and restaurant recommendation!
Anonymous – I used 2 chicken breasts, sliced (it’s written at the very bottom of the marinade list of ingredients).
I just made this tonight. It is definitely THE best! Sooo good.
This looks like a great recipe. How much chicken do you use?
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!
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.
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!!
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.
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!