Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta
The internet broke over this recipe and for once, the internet was right. Cowboy butter chicken pasta is one of those viral recipes that actually delivers. The first time I made it, I understood the hype within one bite — garlic, lemon, herbs, Dijon, chilli, all melted into butter and cream, clinging to every noodle, with juicy chicken on top. It’s bold, unapologetic flavour that makes you wonder why all pasta isn’t like this.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta penne, fettuccine, or linguine
- 2 large chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt, pepper, olive oil
Method
Cook the Pasta
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Boil pasta in salted water until 1-2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. If I’ve said it once in these recipes, I’ve said it a hundred times: save your pasta water. The starch is the secret to every good cream sauce.
Cook the Chicken
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Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook 5-6 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Make the Cowboy Butter Sauce
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Same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add butter. When it melts and foams, add garlic — 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in Dijon, lemon juice, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes. Let it sizzle 1 minute. The kitchen will smell so good that your family will start wandering in asking “what’s for dinner” even though they can clearly see what’s for dinner.
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Pour in the cream. Stir to combine. Add parmesan, stir until melted and smooth. The sauce should be golden, silky, and thick enough to coat a spoon. If it’s too thick, add pasta water. If it’s too thin, simmer another minute.
Combine
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Add pasta and chicken to the skillet. Toss everything until coated. Add pasta water as needed for glossy consistency. Stir in parsley and chives. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.
Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta — The Compound Butter Pasta That Broke the Internet
The internet broke over this recipe and for once, the internet was right. Cowboy butter chicken pasta is one of those viral recipes that actually delivers. The first time I made it, I understood the hype within one bite — garlic, lemon, herbs, Dijon, chilli, all melted into butter and cream, clinging to every noodle, with juicy chicken on top. It’s bold, unapologetic flavour that makes you wonder why all pasta isn’t like this.
I’ve tested probably six different viral versions of this recipe. Some were too buttery. Some had no heat. One was weirdly sweet. This version is what survived the testing — the one my family unanimously voted for. My husband said it was the best pasta I’ve ever made, which is either a compliment or a commentary on the previous 15 years of pasta. I’m choosing to take it as a compliment.
What Is Cowboy Butter
Cowboy butter started as a compound butter for grilled steaks — garlic, herbs, lemon, Dijon mustard, and chilli flakes mixed into softened butter and melted over seared meat. Someone brilliant realised this combination works even better as a pasta sauce, and cowboy butter chicken pasta was born. The “cowboy” part has nothing to do with actual cowboys and everything to do with bold, rustic, no-apologies flavour.
What makes it different from regular garlic butter: the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Those two ingredients add a tangy brightness that cuts through the richness and prevents the sauce from feeling heavy. Without them, it’s just garlic butter pasta. With them, it’s something you’ll crave weekly.
Ingredients
- • 12 oz pasta (penne, fettuccine, or linguine)
- • 2 large chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- • 4 tablespoons butter
- • 4 cloves garlic, minced
- • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- • Juice of 1 lemon
- • 1/2 cup heavy cream
- • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- • 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- • Salt, pepper, olive oil
How to Make It
Cook the Pasta
Boil pasta in salted water until 1-2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. If I’ve said it once in these recipes, I’ve said it a hundred times: save your pasta water. The starch is the secret to every good cream sauce.
Cook the Chicken
Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook 5-6 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Make the Cowboy Butter Sauce
Same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add butter. When it melts and foams, add garlic — 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in Dijon, lemon juice, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes. Let it sizzle 1 minute. The kitchen will smell so good that your family will start wandering in asking “what’s for dinner” even though they can clearly see what’s for dinner.
Pour in the cream. Stir to combine. Add parmesan, stir until melted and smooth. The sauce should be golden, silky, and thick enough to coat a spoon. If it’s too thick, add pasta water. If it’s too thin, simmer another minute.
Combine
Add pasta and chicken to the skillet. Toss everything until coated. Add pasta water as needed for glossy consistency. Stir in parsley and chives. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Don’t skip the lemon. It’s what makes cowboy butter different from garlic butter. The acid cuts the richness.
✓ Use Dijon, not yellow mustard. Dijon adds tangy depth. Yellow mustard adds hot dog vibes. Not what we’re going for.
✓ Fresh herbs make a real difference. Dried work in a pinch, but fresh parsley and chives give brightness that dried can’t match.
✓ Pasta water is your friend. Add it gradually. It helps the sauce cling and emulsify instead of puddling at the bottom.
Variations
• With shrimp: Large shrimp instead of chicken. 2-3 minutes per side.
• Vegetarian: Skip the chicken, add roasted broccoli or mushrooms.
• Extra spicy: Fresh diced jalapeno with the garlic, plus double the red pepper flakes. My preferred version.
• With kielbasa: Because I’m Polish Mom and kielbasa goes in everything. Slice and brown it like in my kielbasa and sauerkraut skillet, then build the sauce in the same pan.
How to Store
Leftovers keep 3 days. Sauce thickens as it cools — add cream or water when reheating on the stovetop. Not ideal for freezing because cream sauces separate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs?
Absolutely. Juicier, more forgiving, more flavourful. They may need an extra minute or two. If I’m cooking for the family (not for show), thighs every time.
Is this spicy?
Mildly. The cream tames the red pepper flakes to a gentle warmth. Reduce or omit for zero heat. Increase for Polish Mom levels of spice (which my babcia would consider reckless but my taste buds consider necessary).
What makes this different from every other cream pasta?
The Dijon and lemon. Seriously. Those two ingredients transform a good cream sauce into an addictive one. Every time I’ve made cream pasta without them since discovering cowboy butter, it feels like something’s missing. Once you go cowboy butter, you don’t go back.
Why This Became Our Tuesday Night Pasta
Every family has their rotation — the 5-7 dinners that cycle through the week without anyone needing to think too hard. Cowboy butter chicken pasta entered our rotation about six months ago and immediately claimed Tuesday. Not because Tuesday is special, but because Tuesday is the most exhausting day of the week in this house — sports practice, homework peak, everyone’s tired from Monday’s optimism wearing off — and this recipe is fast enough to make between activities and impressive enough to feel like I have my life together. I don’t. But the pasta suggests otherwise.
The kids eat it without negotiation. My husband eats it with the enthusiasm usually reserved for food that costs three times more at a restaurant. And I eat it knowing that from start to finish it took 25 minutes and one pan. That’s the real cowboy butter magic — not just the flavour (though the flavour is exceptional), but the ratio of effort to reward. This pasta delivers maximum output for minimum input, and as a mom of four, I respect that more than any fancy technique.