A zingy kid family friendly pasta dish that comes together in the time it takes to boil and cook the pasta, this deceptively simple full flavored recipe is a long time family favorite!
This Cilantro Lime Chicken Pasta has been a part of our regular rotation for a long time so it took me a while to figure out where the idea came from. Some sleuthing has led me back to this recipe from Julia's Album.
I have changed it considerably to reflect our tastes, decreasing the dairy, increasing the cilantro, adding a little spice and so on. You will also notice that I give you ranges for adjusting quantities.
Adjusting the Recipe for what you Have
I have made this dish COUNTLESS times and each time is has turned out well no matter what substitutions I have made. Don't sweat it if you don't have the exact ingredients.
Use the cheese you have, if you don't have limes then use lemon juice. No one is expecting you to make stock from scratch, ¾ of a bouillon cube works well. You will notice that I don't ask for you to season anything until the end and that is because the chicken broth varies in saltiness as do cheeses. Oh and if you do not have cream then milk is fine too. It will be less rich tasting, but still yummy.
Other Pasta Recipes
Made the recipe? I'd love to know what you think! Tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog and do rate the recipe below (by clicking the number of stars!).
Cilantro Lime Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Spaghetti
- 1 lb spaghetti
- salt
Cilantro Lime Chicken Sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ¾-1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 4-5 cloves garlic crushed
- ½-1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock (or ¾ of a stock cube)
- ¼-1/2 cup cream
- zest of one lime
- 2-3 tbsp lime juice 2 limes
- ¾-1 cup shredded cheese - monterey jack, parmesan, mild cheddar or any combinationn
- 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
- salt, freshly cracked pepper, red chilli flakes, red chilli powder for seasoning
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Bring a generous amount of water to boil and add a few fat pinches of salt
- Pop in the spaghetti
- Season the chicken pieces well with salt, pepper, and a tiny pinch of cayenne (red chilli powder)
- Cook the chicken pieces in a hot skillet in the olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side on medium high heat - they should be golden brown and cooked through
- Remove the chicken, turn down the temperature and then add the garlic and chilli flakes
- Sprinkle on the flour and cook for a minute to take away the raw smell
- Then whisk in the chicken stock, the lime zest, cream (start with ¼ cup) and some freshly ground pepper
- Bring to a boil and simmer till it thickens a little
- Add the chicken pieces and 2 tbsp lime juice to the sauce.
- Drain the pasta when it's cooked through making sure to reserve a cup of pasta water
- Add the sauce to the cooked spaghetti, stir to coat.
- Now stir in the cheese, tossing the pasta frequently as you add it. It should melt into the pasta fairly quickly, add a splash of pasta water and additional cream to loosen the sauce if needed
- Cook on medium heat stirring frequently until the sauce is a consistency you like. If it thickens too much then add more pasta water.
- Add the cilantro, mix lightly and then taste the pasta - adjust seasoning with remaining lime juice, salt, pepper and chilli flakes
- Serve immediately
Notes
- Any cheese that isn't overpowering works well here.
- this is not a saucy pasta meaning it does not microwave well. If you are planning on reheating then make sure to reserve extra pasta water and reheat in the skillet
Sana says
This has become a weekday staple at our place as well! It’s comforting, zesty and fresh and comes together so quickly!
Maha Abbasi says
I LOVE this recipe. Your blog is my to go for any recipe - desi or otherwise. This pasta holds a special place in my household. It’s warm, it’s comforting, and not overbearingly heavy. I’ve made this numerous times and realized I never paid it’s due credit to the creator. Thank you for making your hard work available to the rest of us!
Sarah Mir says
Maha, this is such a regular in my house and it warms my heart to no end to hear it is in yours too! Thank you for taking the time to share that - means the world to me!
Sanaa says
Hey! I've been trying so many of your recipes and loving them! My husband is GF and I was wondering if I could sub the flour for corn starch?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Sanaa! Thanks so much for sharing that! You can totally put in a little cornstarch or if you don't mind a lighter sauce then skip the flour entirely - between cheese and pasta water it thickens anyway!
Zach says
Wow! We just made this for the first time and it's a game changer. 10/10, plates scraped clean.
Not to be a cliche, but I subbed lemon for lime and milk for cream. Didn't matter, still delicious! Awesome recipe. I look forward to tweaking it a bit more in the future (breading the chicken first?) Thanks!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hey Zach! Nothing cliched about tweaking a recipe to make it work for you guys - Am glad you enjoyed it! Curious to hear how the breaded version turns out!
Areeba Adnan says
I adore this recipe and I am thinking of making it tonight for iftaar!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay!!!! It was what Zara requested for her first Iftar too!
Saba Hyder Zaidi says
Thanks for this recipe!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
awww thank you saba!!!