This Healthy Lemon Chicken Pasta features a creamy lemon sauce, penne pasta, juicy chicken breast, fresh lemon, broccoli, and peas. And it's light and Weight Watchers friendly!
Cook both frozen green peas and frozen broccoli in microwave for about 3 minutes. Set aside
¾ cup frozen or fresh peas, 500 g - bag of frozen broccoli
Cook penne pasta, in a large pot of water, as per package directions. Drain and set aside.
450 g pkg of dry penne pasta
Cook chicken on stove top, in large skillet, over medium-high heat, until done (no longer pink and internal temperature is 165 degrees F). Cut into bite-sized pieces (½ inch cubes). Set aside. *you could use a dutch oven instead. Set aside.
1.25 lbs boneless, skinlesss chicken breast
In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add red onions, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ red onion, thinly sliced
Add chicken and Italian seasoning.
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Add reserved pasta water, stirring the entire time. Then add yogurt, garlic. salt and condensed milk. Add cornstarch and cook on med- low heat until it starts to thicken.
Remove from heat, add in sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice. If it's not thick enough (consistency of gravy) return to medium low heat and gradually add a little more cornstarch, cooking until thickened.
½ cup light sour cream, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Add cooked peas and broccoli. Stir gently to combine.
Garnish
Garnish with lemon wedges, and low-fat or fat-free parmesan cheese (optional)
lemon wedges, black pepper, parmesan cheese (light)
Notes
 Expert Recipe Tips:
Prevent Curdling: When working with Greek yogurt and sour cream, never let the sauce come to a rolling boil once they are added. High heat can cause the dairy to separate or curdle. Keep the heat on medium-low and stir constantly.
Zest Before You Juice:Â It is much easier to zest a firm, whole lemon than a squeezed-out half. Always get your zest first!
The Cornstarch Slurry:Â To avoid lumps, mix your cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water or a little of the reserved pasta water before adding it to the pot.
The "Pasta Water" Secret:Â I always scoop out about 2 cups of pasta water before draining. You might not need it all, but having that starchy liquid on hand is the best way to thin out the sauce if it becomes too thick.
Lazy Way Veggie Hack: If you’re really in a hurry, you don’t even need to microwave the frozen peas and broccoli separately. Just toss them into the boiling pasta water for the last 2–3 minutes of the pasta's cooking time!
 🔢WW PointsThis creamy lemon chicken pasta is 6 WW points. You can use non-fat sour cream and lighter pasta to further bring down the points if you prefer. Here's a handy "Cheat Sheet" for Weight Watchers Pasta!