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Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta

Garlic butter chicken pasta with spaghetti tossed in a glossy garlic-butter sauce, topped with golden chicken strips. Finished with fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan for a rich, cling-to-every-strand bite.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet

Method
 

Sear 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 4-5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through; remove and set aside.
Make the garlic butter sauce and toss
  1. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant and golden at the edges.
  2. Add the fresh lemon juice to the garlic butter. Toss the cooked spaghetti in the garlic butter sauce and add the reserved pasta water a splash at a time to coat all the pasta.
  3. Return the seared chicken strips to the skillet and top the pasta. Sprinkle the Parmesan and fresh parsley generously over the top.
  4. Serve the garlic butter chicken pasta immediately while the sauce is glossy. Finish with any extra parsley if desired and serve hot.

Notes

Pro tip: reserve pasta water and add it gradually—start with a splash, toss, then add more until the sauce clings to every spaghetti strand. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the butter sauce can separate after thawing. For a lighter option, use half the butter and add 1-2 tbsp extra olive oil while tossing.