Bright and creamy: spaghetti tossed with chicken and peas in a honey-lemon Greek-yogurt sauce. One plate is 51g of protein for 466 calories — the highest-protein pasta in the chapter.

Keep the heat low when the yogurt goes in, or the sauce splits instead of going creamy.

Ingredients

  • For the pasta
  • Spaghetti — 85 g [P 12 C 62 F 3]
  • Salt — for the pasta water
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried parsley — to taste
  • For the honey lemon sauce
  • Light butter — 1 tbsp [P 0 C 0 F 4]
  • Minced garlic — 1 tbsp
  • Red onion or shallot — 1 small, chopped
  • Frozen peas — ¾ cup [P 6 C 16 F 0]
  • Fat-free plain Greek yogurt — ½ cup [P 11 C 6 F 0]
  • Low-fat cheese — ¼ cup (mozzarella) [P 9 C 2 F 6]
  • Lemon — ½, juiced
  • Honey — 2 tsp
  • Pasta water — ¼ cup (reserved)

Method

  1. Cook the pasta. Boil 7 minutes in salted water; reserve ¼ cup water, then drain.
  2. Cook the chicken. Season and pan-cook 6 minutes a side; remove.
  3. Build the sauce. Soften the butter, onion, garlic and peas, then add the yogurt, cheese, lemon, honey and pasta water on low heat; stir ~2 minutes until creamy.
  4. Combine. Toss in the spaghetti, plate, and top with the chicken.

What to eat it with

  • Red pepper flakes and lemon zest — the author’s finish.
  • A side salad.
  • Extra veg — stir in spinach or broccoli.

Variations

  • Full-fat yogurt: less risk of splitting, a bit richer.
  • Different veg: broccoli or asparagus for the peas.
  • Lower carb: a chickpea or lentil pasta.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 5g a serving, from the pasta and peas.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 466 cal / 51g protein listed; no correction needed.