Some nights call for a dinner that’s as easy as it is delicious, and this creamy Boursin lemon pasta with chicken delivers on both. The best part? Everything cooks in one pot! There's no need to boil the pasta separately—so you get a rich, velvety sauce without the extra dishes.
But wait, there's more. This one-pot dinner is ready in just 30 minutes, making it a perfect choice for busy weeknights. Pretty great, right?
What's my secret to this creamy, flavor-packed sauce? Boursin cheese. The Boursin melts into the lemony broth as the pasta cooks. And, since you don't drain the pasta water, all that starchy goodness combines together for a luscious sauce.
Add a little rotisserie chicken and a handful of peas for a pop of sweetness, and you’ve got a meal that feels fancy but couldn’t be simpler to make. When I made this for my family, even my sometimes picky 9-year-old gobbled it up. That's a major win in my book.
If you're a fan of my creamy sun-dried chicken pasta recipe (aka marry me chicken pasta), then I know you'll love this recipe too. And if you're looking for other easy weeknight dinner recipes that use rotisserie chicken (perhaps my favorite convenience item of all), be sure to check out my shortcut chicken and dumplings, Brunswick stew, biscuit topped chicken pot pie, and chicken and shrimp fried rice recipes too!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this Boursin pasta recipe:
- Boursin cheese
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- shallot
- crushed red pepper flakes
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- bowtie pasta
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- fresh Parmesan cheese
- rotisserie chicken
- frozen peas
- fresh parsley
(See the printable recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
- First, heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Then, add the pasta, chicken broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Place the Boursin cheese rounds in the center. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
- Next, uncover and stir in the cream and Parmesan cheese. Simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- Finally, stir in the chicken and peas and cook just until the peas are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Spoon into serving bowls or onto plates and sprinkle with parsley and more cheese if desired.
Hint: Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need to add a little more liquid as the pasta cooks. At the start of cooking, make sure the pasta is just covered with broth.
Hint #2: To make it easier on yourself, don't forget to zest the lemon before you squeeze the juice from it!
Substitutions
Out of an ingredient or need to change things up? That's okay! Here are some ingredient substitution ideas:
- Boursin - Instead of Boursin, you can use Allouette or Laughing Cow cheese. Cream cheese will also work, but I recommend adding in some dried or fresh herbs to account for the lack of seasoning.
- Bowtie Pasta - Feel free to swap out the pasta shape if you'd like. Rigatoni is a great alternative. So is spaghetti and fettuccine. Just make sure to check the package directions for cook time and adjust accordingly.
- Chicken Broth - Out of chicken broth? Chicken stock, vegetable broth, and vegetable stock will work great.
- Vegetarian - Make this vegetarian by switching to vegetable broth and omitting the chicken. Add your favorite protein--cooked white beans (firmer is better) or seared tofu are great options.
- Rotisserie Chicken - Instead of rotisserie chicken, you can use regular cooked chicken. This recipe is a great way to use up those leftovers!
Variations
There are so many ways to make this Boursin cheese pasta recipe your own. Check out these easy variations:
- Spicy - Increase the amount of crushed red chili flakes to give this pasta dish more of a kick.
- Mega Spring Veggie - Want to jam pack this recipe with more veggies? Add in asparagus pieces and artichoke hearts for a springtime pasta dish. Baby spinach is also fantastic.
- Leftover Ham Boursin Pasta - If you have leftover Easter ham, you can dice some up and use it in place of the rotisserie chicken.
- Bacon Boursin Pasta - For a bacon version, cook the bacon first, and remove it from the Dutch oven, reserving enough bacon drippings in the pan for for cooking the garlic and shallot. Follow the instructions as mentioned below and stir in the crumbled bacon at the end.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need to make this lemon Boursin pasta recipe:
- measuring spoons
- chef's knife
- microplane grater
- juicer
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cup
- Dutch oven
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Note that the texture of the pasta may not be ideal once frozen and thawed.
Tasty Tip
There's no need to thaw the frozen peas before you add them. They'll thaw pretty quickly once they're added to the pasta and bonus: they'll stay vibrant green.
Frequently asked questions
Lemon juice is a great way to cut the richness of the creamy sauce in this pasta dish. It provides the perfect balance of acidity.
The great thing about this recipe is that it's a one-pot meal, meaning you don't really need a side dish at all. But, if you'd like you can serve it with my kale Caesar salad (minus the tuna) or some sliced fresh tomatoes with a drizzle of this 5-ingredient basil vinaigrette.
You can (although the flavor won't be as robust since Boursin is a flavored soft cheese).
Allouette and Laughing Cow are similar soft cheeses like Boursin.
I don't recommend it. To me, bottled lemon juice has an artificial flavor to it. And, increasing the amount of lemon juice overall could make the paste taste bitter and too tart.
Yes! Use the smallest holes on the box grater if you don't have a Microplane zester.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this one pot pasta recipe:
🍽Get the recipe
Creamy Boursin Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Peas
Equipment
- measuring spoons
- chef's knife
- microplane grater
- juicer
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cup
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (12-ounce) package bowtie pasta (farfalle)
- 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 (5.3-ounce) packages Boursin cheese
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups frozen peas
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, and crushed red pepper and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the pasta, broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. (The broth should just cover the pasta. If it doesn't, you may need to add a little water during cooking.) Arrange the Boursin rounds in the center of the pot on top of the pasta.
- Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and add the cream and Parmesan cheese. Simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- Stir in the chicken and peas and cook just until the peas are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the pasta between serving bowls or plates and sprinkle with parsley and more Parmesan if desired.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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