Penne Limone with Chicken
plus Zucchini, Toasted Garlic & Basil
- Milk
- Wheat
When life gives you lemons… you could make lemonade, but wouldn’t you rather whip up a delectable homemade pasta limone? This rich, tangy, oh-so-easy sauce comes together in a flash with lemon juice and zest, Parmesan, and butter—plus toasted garlic and a cream sauce base for good measure. It’s all tossed with penne noodles, sautéed zucchini, and chicken breast strips, then garnished with fresh basil and more Parm. Each bowl’s served with lemon wedges for squeezing over. This dish is truly the best of the zest.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
1 unit
Zucchini
½ ounce
Basil
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 clove
Garlic
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. • Peel and thinly slice garlic. Trim and quarter zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Zest and quarter lemon. Pick basil leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, 1 minute. • Turn off heat; using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to a paper-towel-lined plate. Wipe out pan. • TIP: Keep a close eye on the garlic to avoid burning. Remove from heat as soon as it turns a pale golden color.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. • While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of olive oil in pan used for garlic over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring, until tender and lightly golden, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate.
• While zucchini cooks, pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. • Once zucchini is done, heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
• Cut top off carton of cream sauce to open fully; pour contents into pan with chicken. Using a spoon or spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from carton into pan. • Stir in ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water and juice from half the lemon; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes. • 4 SERVINGS: Use ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water and juice from 1 lemon. • TIP: If sauce seems too thick, add another splash or two of pasta cooking water.
• Add penne, zucchini, toasted garlic, half the Parmesan, half the chopped basil, 2 TBSP butter, and half the lemon zest (use all the zest if desired). Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. • Divide pasta between bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and chopped basil. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side. • 4 SERVINGS: Use 3 TBSP butter. • TIP: If needed, stir in more pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the fresh, lemony taste; some found it a bit bland and added extra seasoning for more depth 🍋.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, with simple instructions that even teens could follow.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more garlic, herbs, or Parmesan for extra flavor; try including cherry tomatoes or spinach for variety.
- Leftovers: Reheats well for some, though a few noted the chicken wasn't as good the next day.
- Chicken quality: Several found the chicken pieces too small or mushy; many prefer whole breast pieces to cut themselves.
- Portions: Good serving size for most; some wished for more sauce or vegetables relative to the pasta amount.
Reviews from our home cooks
The flavors in the penne were spot on. This dish was extremely tasty. The chicken was very tender and we liked the added taste of the zucchini.
It's like my new pasta comfort food!!! Yummy. More lemony limone citron sauces in my life, please. I did add some red pepper flakes to boost the flavor of the zucchini and garlic. Chardonnay... butter light wine pairs well with this dish for sure.
What is in the sauce? I need to packaged and shipped to me on a weekly basis. The toasted garlic was a great touch. This was my first time preparing zucchini. It was delicious.
Very yummy! The toasted garlic was delightful and the recipe was easy enough that my boyfriend took point on cooking it. The only thing I would do next time is use a bigger lemon and use a little more lemon zest (which is my new favorite ingredient since starting hello fresh.)
I don't normally like zucchini, and was using this recipe to try and branch out a bit. The zucchini is amazing when prepared this way, and the chicken and pasta are perfect.
I like the texture of the cooked zucchini with the creaminess of the sauce and al dente penne!
This was a great base recipe. I roasted the zucchini and garlic. I also added roasted broccoli. It came out delicious.
Loved this. The chicken was good. The penne and sauce was good. Felt like a decadent dinner. We don't eat pasta very often especially in a creamy sauce.
Pretty much tasteless. Lose the toasted garlic and use fresh. Need to add more chives - just not enough. Needs another herb to give it some umphh. Maybe some mint which goes well with lemon or tarragon! The chicken in my package looked like ground up chicken. It is a great base recipe just needs some flavor.
Very delicious, but a little scarce on the garlic and zucchini. The recipe, like all I have chosen was fun to make and wonderful to eat.
