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Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta

Garlic butter chicken pasta with spaghetti tossed in a glossy garlic-butter sauce, featuring golden chicken strips and Parmesan curls. Medium-high skillet searing keeps the chicken juicy, while reserved pasta water helps the sauce cling to every strand.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
  • Salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • garlic powder to taste
  • Italian seasoning to taste
Pasta and sauce
  • 12 oz spaghetti cooked; reserve 1 cup pasta water
  • 0.25 cup pasta water use as needed; reserve 1 cup
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Seer the chicken
  1. Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
  2. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate and set aside. Leave the skillet drippings in the pan for the sauce.
Make the garlic butter sauce
  1. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and golden at the edges.
  2. Add the fresh lemon juice to the skillet. Toss the cooked spaghetti into the garlic butter sauce and add pasta water a splash at a time to coat all the pasta.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the pasta with the seared chicken strips. Sprinkle Parmesan and fresh parsley generously over the top.
  2. Serve the garlic butter chicken pasta immediately. Keep it hot so the butter sauce stays glossy on the spaghetti.

Notes

Pro tip: add pasta water gradually—when the spaghetti looks evenly glossy, stop to avoid thinning the sauce. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because butter sauces can separate. For a lighter option, use half the butter and replace the rest with olive oil while still using the pasta water to emulsify the sauce.