Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta
, Updated Jul 29, 2025
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This Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta is bold, buttery, and packed with flavor. A spicy garlic butter sauce coats tender chicken strips, peppers and pasta for the ultimate comfort food!
What Is Cowboy Butter—and Why’s Everyone Obsessed?
Cowboy butter is the garlicky, spicy, herby butter sauce blowing up online, and it turns out it’s phenomenal on pasta. Think garlic butter with a wild side—smoky paprika, mustard, chili flakes, fresh herbs, red pepper flakes and a tangy zing of lemon.
I recently made cowboy butter for my Air Fryer Filet Mignon (still can’t get over how amazing that was!). My leftover compound butter was begging me to use it and turns out it is chef’s kiss in this easy pasta dish!!
What Makes This Cowboy Chicken Pasta So Good?
- Bold flavors will shake you out of your food rut
- Juicy chicken, tender pasta, epic sauce
- Ready in under 30 minutes, no stress – the ideal weeknight dinner
- Customizable to whatever’s in your fridge
Cowboy Butter Chicken Linguine Ingredients
Creamy chicken pasta is a big hit at our place, but this cowboy butter version is seriously one of the most delicious ones I’ve ever whipped up! Let’s take a look at what you will need:
- Chicken thighs – Skinless and boneless thighs stay extra tender when seared. Slice into strips for quick cooking and season with paprika, garlic granules, salt and pepper. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick!
- Cowboy butter – the recipe’s MVP! Made with unsalted butter, garlic, paprika, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, chili flakes, and parsley, this sauce is all about bold, zesty flavor.
- Shallots – Milder than regular onions, shallots add sweetness and a gentle savory base to the sauce. Finely slice for even cooking.
- Sliced garlic cloves – Thinly sliced garlic infuses the butter sauce with rich, aromatic flavor. Don’t rush this—it’s key to that cowboy butter pasta magic.
- Peppers – Use a mix of red, yellow and orange bell peppers for color and a sweet, fresh crunch.
- Reserved pasta water – This starchy liquid is your secret weapon for creating a silky, clinging sauce. Don’t forget to save some before draining the pasta!
- Linguine pasta – Flat and slightly chewy, linguine holds the sauce beautifully. You can freestyle and use any type of pasta, such as fettuccine, spaghetti, penne and so on — go with your favorite.
- Heavy cream (a.k.a double cream) – Just a splash adds richness and rounds out the heat. You can substitute with half-and-half or cream cheese if preferred.
- Freshly grated Parmesan – Salty, nutty, and umami-packed, Parmesan takes the flavor up a notch. Always grate fresh for best results. Use Pecorino Romano cheese for a nuttier flavor,
- Chopped fresh parsley to garnish – A sprinkle of fresh herbs brightens everything and adds color. Swap for chives or even basil for a twist.
- Lemon slices, to serve, for a bright acidic note that livens the creamy sauce
How to Make Cowboy Butter Pasta
Make the cowboy butter
- Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. This can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until needed.
Prepare the pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions or until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
Bring it all together
- Prepare the rest of the dish while the pasta cooks. Cut the chicken thighs into strips or bite-sized pieces. Add the seasoning, tossing to combine. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or chef’s pan and quickly sear the chicken over medium-high heat. This will take about 4 minutes – you don’t have to cook the chicken all the way through.
- Lower the heat a notch. Add the shallots, garlic and sliced peppers and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the cowboy butter and add the linguine, tossing to combine in the buttery sauce.
- Add the cream, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley and stir well to combine. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side and some extra Parmesan cheese and perhaps some garlic bread. Serious comfort food vibes!
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to add more veggies to the cowboy butter sauce. Zucchini, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes are all great options.
- You won’t need all of the cowboy butter in this recipe – save the rest to use as a dip with roasted veggies or steak.
- The pasta water goes a long way to create a silky sauce with velvety texture without too much cream. Although is there such a thing? Add as much or as little as you like!
- Your chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature 165°F (75°C) when checked with an instant read thermometer. Typically, the chicken strips will take approximately 8-10 minutes to cook over medium heat.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan or the microwave, adding a splash of water as needed.
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If buttery pasta with a spicy kick sounds like your kind of comfort food, give this Cowboy Butter Pasta Recipe a go! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating if you loved it and tag me if you share—I’d love to see your cowboy pasta creations. Yeehaw!
Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta
Buttery, spicy, and packed with flavor—this Cowboy Butter Chicken Pasta is your new weeknight favorite. Ready in under 30 minutes!
Video
Ingredients
For the Cowboy Butter
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch red pepper flakes
- ½ lemon juice and zest
For the pasta
- 12 oz (340g) pasta I used linguine
- 2 tsp salt
For the Pasta
- 6 chicken thighs , skinless and boneless
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil , or as needed
- 1 large shallot , finely diced
- 1 cup (150g) sliced bell peppers , mix of red, yellow and orange
- 4 cloves garlic , sliced
- 4 tbsp cowboy butter , or more to taste
- ½ cup (120ml) cream , heavy / double
- 4 tbsp Parmesan , freshly grated
- 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the cowboy butter: Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. This can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until needed. You will only need to use about half of the butter in the pasta recipe.½ cup (115g) unsalted butter softened, 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 cloves garlic finely minced, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tbsp chopped chives, 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp salt, pinch red pepper flakes, ½ lemon juice and zest
- Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions or until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining the pasta.12 oz (340g) pasta, 2 tsp salt
- Prepare the rest of the dish while the pasta cooks. Cut the chicken thighs into strips or bite-sized pieces. Season with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.6 chicken thighs, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or chef's pan and quickly sear the chicken over medium-high heat. This will take about 4 minutes – you don't have to cook the chicken all the way through.1 tbsp olive oil
- Lower the heat a notch. Add the shallots, garlic and sliced peppers and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and chicken is cooked through.1 large shallot, 1 cup (150g) sliced bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic
- Stir in the cowboy butter and add the linguine, tossing to combine in the buttery sauce.4 tbsp cowboy butter
- Add the cream, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley and stir well to combine. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.½ cup (120ml) cream, 4 tbsp Parmesan, 2 tbsp parsley
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side and some extra Parmesan cheese and perhaps some garlic bread. Serious comfort food vibes!
Notes
- Feel free to add more veggies to the cowboy butter sauce. Zucchini, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes are all great options.
- The pasta water goes a long way to create a silky sauce with velvety texture without too much cream. Although is there such a thing? Add as much or as little as you like!
- Your chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature 165°F (75°C) when checked with an instant read thermometer. Typically, the chicken strips will take approximately 8-10 minutes to cook over medium heat.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan or the microwave, adding a splash of water as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 972kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 203mg | Sodium: 2866mg | Potassium: 784mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3623IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
This recipe got rave reviews from my family. They said this is a keeper, make sure you save this to make again!!! Very good flavor!
That’s awesome to hear Megan – thank you for your comment 🙂