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Cowboy Butter Chicken Linguine

Cowboy butter chicken linguine with seared chicken strips and a vivid herb-spiced cowboy butter sauce. Linguine gets tossed until glossy and clings to the sauce using reserved pasta water for a silky finish.
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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: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and pasta
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts Cut into strips.
  • 0.25 Salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 Cajun seasoning To taste.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz linguine Cooked; reserve 1 cup pasta water.
  • 1 cup pasta water Reserved from cooking the linguine.
Cowboy butter sauce
  • 6 tbsp butter For the sauce.
  • 4 garlic Minced (about cloves).
  • 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 large skillet

Method
 

Sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning, then heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering.
  2. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes, until charred and cooked through, then remove to a plate.
Make the cowboy butter sauce
  1. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper, then cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Stir in the fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley, and chopped chives.
Toss and serve
  1. Add the cooked linguine to the skillet and toss, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce coats the noodles.
  2. Top the pasta with the seared chicken strips and serve immediately.

Notes

Pro tip: reserve more pasta water than you think you’ll need—tossing with a splash at a time helps the cowboy butter sauce turn glossy instead of greasy. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or chicken broth. Freezing is not recommended because the lemon-butter sauce can break after thawing. For a lighter option, use half butter and half olive oil (or plant-based butter) to keep the sauce coating effect while reducing saturated fat.