Chicken Garlic Butter Pasta packed with garlic, parmesan cheese, pasta & tender chicken. Simple, flavorful chicken dinner recipe that is quick & easy to make!
If you are looking for a simple and easy 30-minute dinner recipe then look no further because this is it! Garlic butter chicken pasta is made with a few ingredients and minutes of prep, serve it up as a quick dinner option or as a sensational meal for a family gathering.
Garlic Butter Pasta with Chicken
This garlic butter noodles with chicken is actually a recipe inspired by another one of our recipes- Easy Garlic Butter Pasta. It has been a favorite meal of ours for years and adding a little chicken to the plate really helps to make it feel like a full mealtime experience but without adding too much extra work. A perfect meal for any night of the week or when hosting a large gathering, pasta is a popular choice when feeding large crowds of people.
Why you are going to love this recipe!
- Dinner in under 30 minutes. This recipe comes together quickly and easily so you can spend more time enjoying your evening instead of hovering over the stove.
- You can make the meal lighter. If desired, you can swap out the noodles for some zucchini noodles (zoodles) or spaghetti squash, to reduce the carbs.
- This recipe is versatile. If you don’t want to use chicken you can use shrimp, sausage, meatballs, or omit the meat entirely for a simple vegetarian dish.
Chicken Butter Garlic Pasta Ingredients
Chicken breasts: You will need 2 6-ounce sized boneless skinless chicken breasts that have been trimmed of fat.
Spaghetti pasta: Use 8 ounces of dried spaghetti noodles. This is roughly what you get from half of a box.
Garlic: You will want 3-4 cloves of minced garlic to make this dish well flavored, each clove is roughly 1 teaspoon. So if you are using pre-minced garlic use 3-4 teaspoons.
Butter: You will use 6 tablespoons of butter for this recipe, divided throughout the steps.
Parmesan cheese: Add ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese to make this recipe taste incredible.
Parsley: Adding in ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley will make this dish feel lighter and fresher.
Salt: Use ½ teaspoon of salt to help enhance the flavors of this pasta.
Pepper: You only need ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper to give great flavor to this dish.
How to make Chicken Garlic Butter Pasta
Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Then, add in the spaghetti noodles and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
Next, in a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.
Once melted, add your chicken breasts and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on each side and then add in the minced garlic. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on each side until the chicken registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read cooking thermometer.
Then, remove the chicken from the skillet and slice it thinly and into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
Coming back to the pasta, put the pasta into the skillet, along with ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat.
Then, add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and continue to toss and coat the pasta well.
Season to taste by adding more salt and pepper as desired.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Toss until combined.
Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and top with your cooked chicken and extra grated parmesan cheese.
Serve warm and enjoy.
What goes well with Butter Garlic Chicken Pasta?
This garlic butter chicken and pasta go perfectly with just about anything thanks to the simple flavors. Some of our favorite side dishes include cooked greens like Italian style green beans, spinach, broccoli, or a simple side salad. Of course, adding a simple dinner roll or slice of garlic bread to the plates is also a great idea, yum!
CHICKEN GARLIC BUTTER PASTA
Ingredients
- 12 oz chicken breasts two 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 8 oz dried spaghetti
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup parsley finely, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, add in the spaghetti noodles and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
- Next, in a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add your chicken breasts and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on each side and then add in the minced garlic. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on each side until the chicken registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read cooking thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and slice it thinly and into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Transfer the pasta into the skillet, along with ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat. Then, add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and continue to toss and coat the pasta well. Season to taste by adding more salt and pepper as desired.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Toss until combined.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and top with your cooked chicken and extra grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
How long is garlic butter spaghetti and chicken good for?
You can keep the leftovers from this recipe stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. This is just long enough to enjoy the left overs again for dinner or a to-go lunch!
How to reheat garlic butter chicken pasta?
To reheat this pasta recipe you will want to add water or butter to help rehydrate the sauce and noodles. As the noodles will have absorbed the sauce as it chilled, making the noodles feel a bit drier. If you are reheating a single serving of pasta in the microwave, add a few dollops of butter on top as it reheats. For larger portions, you can add the pasta and a few tablespoons of water to a large skillet or pot and cook until evenly heated.
Can I prep garlic butter pasta with chicken in advance?
You can prepare the chicken and the pasta in advance and keep it stored in the fridge so that all you have to do is reheat it before serving. If you really want to make this recipe in advance then I recommend cooking the chicken in advance (do not slice it) and keeping it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Make the pasta fresh, slice and heat the chicken in the skillet, and continue the recipe as directed. This way you get freshly cooked pasta and don’t have to wait for a chicken to cook completely because it was already cooked through. Using shredded rotisserie chicken can also help to reduce the time spent cooking as well.
For more delicious pasta recipes check out these tasty suggestions
- CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN PASTA
- EASY CHICKEN MANICOTTI
- PIZZA PASTA SALAD
- PASTA W/ GARLIC ROASTED VEGETABLES & CREAM SAUCE
- PASTA CAPRESE
- MEXICAN CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA BAKE
- GRILLED ITALIAN CHICKEN & PASTA
- SAUSAGE PEPPER PASTA
- SPINACH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- FIESTA RANCH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- MARTHA’S ONE-PAN PASTA
For a delicious meal that the whole family can agree on, try this Chicken garlic butter pasta recipe. Made with spaghetti noodles, chicken, garlic, and parmesan cheese it is one meal that everyone will love.
Lisa says
If the recipe asks you to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water but you only use 1/4 cup of it later on in the recipe, why are we reserving a full cup? Maybe I missed something?
Nicole says
You reserve a full cup because it is better to have more than enough than to not have enough. If after adding in 1/4 cup of water you notice that you would still like more, the rest of the water is right there and ready to go. Add in more and adjust to suit your tastes.