Pasta with Lemon Brûlée Chicken (Printable)

Tender chicken with caramelized lemon sugar atop creamy pasta, garlic, and Parmigiano cheese.

# What You'll Need:

→ Lemon Brûlée Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - Zest of 1 lemon
04 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
05 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Pasta

07 - 11 ounces dried linguine or spaghetti
08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
11 - Zest and juice of 2 lemons
12 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
13 - 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
14 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

16 - Extra lemon zest
17 - Additional Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
18 - Fresh parsley leaves

# Method:

01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry and season evenly with sea salt, black pepper, and lemon zest. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side until nearly cooked through. Sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated sugar on top of each breast and caramelize using a kitchen torch or broiler until golden and crisp. Rest briefly, then slice thinly.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook linguine or spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve half a cup of pasta cooking water and drain the remainder.
03 - In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice, then pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Incorporate grated Parmigiano-Reggiano until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
04 - Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water incrementally to achieve a silky texture.
05 - Divide the pasta evenly among four plates. Top each serving with sliced lemon brûlée chicken. Finish by sprinkling extra lemon zest, additional Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh parsley leaves as garnish.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The caramelized sugar crust on chicken creates this addictive textural contrast—crispy outside, tender inside.
  • One skillet chicken, one creamy pasta sauce, and somehow it feels restaurant-worthy without the stress.
  • Lemon and cream together are a flavor combination that just works, no matter how simple or fancy you make it.
02 -
  • If your chicken isn't quite cooked through after searing, brûléeing alone won't finish the job—better to cook it almost all the way in the pan, then caramelize gently with the torch, or it'll be dry inside and burnt outside.
  • Lemon juice is acidic and will cause cold cream to curdle if you add it straight in; that's why you build the sauce with butter and oil first, warm it up, then add acid—the emulsion holds.
  • Pasta water starch is what makes the sauce silky and helps it cling; tap water won't do the same thing, so always reserve it before draining.
03 -
  • If you don't have a kitchen torch, a very hot broiler works just as well—just stay in the kitchen and don't look away, because the line between golden and burnt is about thirty seconds.
  • Make the lemon cream sauce while the pasta cooks—timing everything so the pasta finishes just as the sauce is ready means you never have to hold anything warm or reheat it.
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