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Cowboy Butter Chicken Linguine

Cowboy butter chicken linguine is a fast weeknight pasta dinner with seared chicken strips tossed in a bold herb-spiced cowboy butter sauce. Linguine gets glossy with garlic, Dijon, smoked paprika, lemon zest, and pasta water for a vivid, aromatic 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: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and cooking base
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.25 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste
  • 0.25 Cajun seasoning to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Pasta
  • 12 oz linguine cooked; reserve 1 cup pasta water
Cowboy butter sauce
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 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
  • 1 cup pasta water reserved from linguine, as needed

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season chicken strips with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering, then sear chicken for 4-5 minutes, stirring as needed, until charred and cooked through; remove to a plate and keep warm.
Build the cowboy butter sauce
  1. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant.
  2. Stir in Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 30 seconds so the spices bloom, then turn off heat briefly if needed to prevent scorching.
  3. Add fresh lemon juice, parsley, and chives, then stir to combine. Toss the cooked linguine in the cowboy butter sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed until glossy and evenly coated.
Finish and serve
  1. Add the seared chicken strips over the sauced linguine. Serve immediately while the sauce is glistening.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the skillet hot when searing so the chicken gets real char before it fully cooks. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the sauce can break and pasta texture softens. For a lighter swap, use olive oil-butter (or half butter) to reduce saturated fat while keeping the same flavor profile.