Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta
Delicious pasta, chicken, lemon, fresh basil, and avocados come together to create this sophisticated yet simple to prepare Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta. Skip your traditional sauce and give this vibrant dish a try!
One thing my whole house can agree on when it comes to food is pasta, I know that my family is not alone in that. Pasta graces more tables come dinner time than just about any other staple. Did you know that the average American, eats 51 pounds of pasta each year? I'm willing to bet that both of my kids eat way more than that!
Avocados are a nutritional powerhouse! Pairing avocado with pasta is not only smart, but it's also fork after fork of creamy deliciousness! Making this Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta is easy. By the time the water is boiling for the pasta, you have just about made your sauce. All you need to add is a bit of your pasta water and your sauce is complete. You can choose to add some shredded chicken to the sauce or enjoy it meatless or with a sprinkling of crumbled bacon. It's your call. Choosing to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or breast) makes this dinner a snap!
This Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta is so good, like wiggle in your chair while you eat with happiness good! My husband was not into the idea of this the first time I made it at all and then just kept saying over and over how he couldn't believe how much he likes it (score one for me!!). It's funny, he will eat a little guac, but that's it for him when it comes to avocados (sigh...I know!!). In his mind avocados and cilantro go hand in hand and he wants nothing and I mean nothing to do with cilantro, which is why I went with basil in this sauce, and I have to say as a cilantro lover (and testing out both basil and cilantro)...Basil is the way to go here!
This is seriously one of my favorite pasta dishes now, the Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta sauce is so incredibly fresh tasting. If you enjoy spicy food, add in as much red pepper or jalapeno as you like. Oh and here's a tip from the chefs at Academia Barilla. When you salt your pasta water before boiling, it should taste like the sea. Gordon Ramsay says that too. So I listen 🙂
Avocado Lemon Pasta & Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ pound Linguini
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 TBS chopped jalapeno up to a whole jalapeno
- ⅓ cup Basil
- 2 avocados skins and pit removed.
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup pasta water
- ¼ cup grapeseed avocado or olive oil
- Kosher salt & pepper
- Basil grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese & lemon zest for garnish
- Shredded chicken
Instructions
- In your food processor or power blender, pulse garlic, jalapeno, basil, avocado and lemon juice until almost smooth.
- Drizzle in oil and pulse until smooth.
- Add in hot pasta water until sauce reaches the consistency you enjoy (¼ cup to ½ cup).
- Season, pulse, taste and adjust.
- Toss with shredded chicken (if you are using it).
- Toss sauce and pasta (with or without shredded chicken) in a bowl until evenly coated, portion out the pasta and then garnish with grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese & lemon zest. If you want more spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
The sauce is meant to be enjoyed fresh since the avocado will discolor.
I hope to try it very soon!
This recipe has everything I love, especially during summer. I would love to make it! And I now know to salt my water so it tastes like the sea!
I think that the recipe looks fantastic. I look forward to trying it in the future!
I may be the only person on Earth who doesn't like avacodos, but when they are just a part of an overall recipe, I don't mind eating them.
That recipe looks super delicious!!
I think this recipe looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. I think even my pick y two year old would eat this!
I've made this recipe twice and we love it. I did skip the jalapenos and used crushed red pepper flakes as a finish. After I added the sauce to the pasta in the pan, I removed it from the heat and added Romano and mixed. Again I added more just before serving.
We have this as a main course with a Caprese salad with a warm Balsamic reduction and warm crusty Italian bread This is a wonderful recipe with a fresh garden taste and still a bit of zip. I'll make a small plate as an appetizer for my next dinner party. It'a very easy recipe and the sauce can be made hours ahead. Thanks for posting it.
Wonderful to hear. This is a favorite of my daughter and mine as well!
Loved it! Used cayenne pepper as did not have jalapeño.
Perfect!
I made this tonight with spaghetti squash. I used pickled jalapeno and added some lime along with the lemon and cooked the chicken in lemon pepper and garlic. I added a little 1/2 & 1/2 to the avocado sauce since I didn't have pasta water. I wilted some fresh spinach and added some cherry tomatoes as well and garnished it with fresh parmesan cheese. My husband loved it! This was a surprise, because he was not thrilled when I told him what I was making. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
That's awesome Summer and sounds amazing!!