This Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta is an easy slow cooker recipe that is light yet super satisfying. The cream cheese sauce is flavored with lemon and thyme and filled with tender chicken and pasta in every bite.
Thanks to the slow cooker, this recipe only requires a few minutes of prep time. And as long as the pasta is kept separate, it can be made in advance and even frozen. If you’re looking for more lemon chicken, you’ll love this Baked Lemon Chicken recipe.
If you're looking for more pasta recipes, be sure to try this Creamy Pumpkin Pasta. It's a fall favorite every year. And If you’re looking for more lemon and chicken pasta recipes, try this Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake, or our Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce.
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
During the spring and summer, I am always craving lighter pasta recipes. This creamy lemon pasta completely hits the mark. The sauce is made with cream cheese and butter, but because it is also packed with fresh lemon and thyme it is deceptively light.
The tender chunks of chicken and pasta soak up the sauce with plenty left to cover each bite in cheesy goodness. Top with a little Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and you’ll be good to go.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken - boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfect for cooking in a slow cooker where they can soak up loads of flavor and stay nice and juicy. Chicken thighs would also work great.
- Cream Cheese - in order to make sure the cheese spreads and melts as the slow cooker cooks, cut this into small chunks and scatter over the chicken.
- Butter - adding a little extra butter keeps the sauce for this pasta extra creamy.
- Fresh Lemons - don’t skimp on the fresh lemons! You’ll need about 2-3 large fresh lemons to make this recipe.
- Thyme - fresh thyme can be scraped off of the stems with your fingers so that you just get the leaves. You can also toss 1-2 sprigs in while it cooks, just be sure to remove the sprigs.
- Chicken Broth - adding chicken broth gives an extra layer of flavor to this pasta recipe.
- Pasta - cook the pasta separately so that you can control how done it gets. Penne, fusilli, gemelli, cellentani, orecchiette, farfalle, or any similarly sized pastas all work great.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Add ingredients to the slow cooker. Lightly spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, then add all but the pasta.
- Cook. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through— about 2 ½ hours on high or about 4 hours on low.
- Whisk the sauce. Once cooked, remove the chicken and whisk the remaining sauce in the crockpot.
- Combine with the chicken and pasta. Add the cooked chicken and pasta back in, stir, and serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, you can cook the chicken and lemon thyme cream sauce the night before, cool, and store in the fridge. Cook the pasta separately, cool, and store separately.
About an hour before you are ready to serve, either return the lemon and thyme chicken to the crockpot set on warm or place in a large pot and warm gently over medium low. Once warmed, add the cooked pasta, stir, and serve.
If you would rather make this on the stovetop, cook the chicken and pasta separately and set aside. In a large pot, add the rest of the ingredients and heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a simmer. Simmer and whisk together to create a sauce, then add the chicken and pasta back in.
The best pasta to use for this lemon chicken pasta recipe is anything that is bite-sized such as penne, gemelli, bowtie (farfalle), medium or large shells, or similar. These will have the best ratio of sauce to pasta.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover lemon chicken pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: as long as the pasta has not yet been added, this lemon and thyme chicken can be frozen for up to 2 months in freezer bags. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
- To reheat: reheat in a microwave or a small pot with a little extra chicken broth or water. Warm over medium low, stirring often.
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs Chicken Breasts cut into ½" chunks
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese cut into 1" chunks
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
- 6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 4 cloves Garlic minced (or 2 tsp)
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme minced
- 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 pound Cooked Pasta
Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the diced raw chicken, cream cheese, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh thyme, onion powder, salt, pepper, and chicken broth.
- Cover and cook the chicken for 2½ hours on high or about 4 hours on low—until the chicken is tender and cooked throughout.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, rinse, and set aside.
- Once the chicken has cooked, remove from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon and set aside. Whisk together the cream cheese and broth mixture that is in the slow cooker until well-combined.
- Stir in the cooked chicken and pasta, then top with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Pasta Recipes
- Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta Bake
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Alfredo
- Garlic Chicken Tortellini
- More Pasta Recipes
- More Easy Chicken Recipes
If you're in the mood for lemon chicken pasta, this easy slow cooker recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It's made with a creamy lemon thyme sauce and filled with juicy chicken breast and cooked pasta.
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