Cowboy Chicken – Creamy Butter Linguine Dinner
A fast, flavorful pasta dish with juicy chicken, linguine, and a buttery garlic-herb sauce inspired by cowboy butter — perfect for busy nights.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz linguine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast or thighs, sliced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: ¼ cup cream or 2 tbsp Parmesan
- Reserved pasta water (as needed)
Instructions
- Cook linguine in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup water, then drain.
- Sauté chicken in olive oil with salt, pepper, and paprika until golden. Remove.
- Melt butter in skillet. Add garlic, Dijon, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir well.
- Return chicken and pasta to the pan. Toss to coat, adding pasta water as needed.
- Serve hot with extra herbs or Parmesan if desired.
Notes
Add cream or cheese for richness. Use rotisserie chicken for speed. Adjust spice to taste.