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Cowboy Butter Chicken Linguine

Cowboy butter chicken linguine with seared chicken strips and a bold herb-spiced cowboy butter sauce that coats every strand of linguine. Finished with red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and fresh parsley for a vivid, aromatic pasta dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 820
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and pasta
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
  • Salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • Cajun seasoning to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz linguine cooked; reserve 1 cup pasta water
Cowboy butter sauce
  • 6 tbsp butter unsalted
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh chives chopped

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning to taste. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and sear for 4-5 minutes until charred and cooked through, then remove.
Build the cowboy butter sauce
  1. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat, then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and cayenne, then cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Toss with linguine and serve
  1. Add fresh lemon juice, parsley, and chives to the skillet. Toss the cooked linguine with the cowboy butter sauce and add reserved pasta water as needed until glossy and evenly coated, then top with the seared chicken strips and serve immediately.

Notes

Pro tip: toss the linguine off-heat or at low heat while adding pasta water a splash at a time so the sauce turns silky and clings to the noodles. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water or broth. Freezing is not recommended because the butter sauce can separate. For a lower-fat swap, use half butter and half olive oil or replace half with an equal amount of olive-oil-based spread.