Cowboy Butter Lemon Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken and bowtie pasta in a rich, zesty cowboy butter lemon sauce with herbs and Parmesan.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

→ Pasta

02 - 10 oz bowtie (farfalle) pasta

→ Cowboy Butter Sauce

03 - 7 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
06 - 1 tsp hot sauce (e.g., Tabasco)
07 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped (optional)
09 - 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
10 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon
13 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Additional

14 - 2 tbsp olive oil
15 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a colander and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken, season generously with salt and black pepper, and cook until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
03 - Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the butter. Once the butter has fully melted, stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and lightly golden.
04 - Add the Dijon mustard, hot sauce, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, chopped parsley, chives, and thyme leaves. Stir thoroughly to combine all the seasonings into the butter mixture.
05 - Stir in the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, mixing well. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Return the cooked chicken to the skillet, then add the drained bowtie pasta. Toss everything together until the chicken and pasta are evenly coated in the cowboy butter lemon sauce.
07 - Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the top and toss once more to distribute. Serve immediately, garnished with extra fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cowboy butter sauce tastes like something you would get at a steakhouse, but it comes together in your own kitchen with pantry staples.
  • Bowtie pasta catches the sauce in every little fold, making each bite more flavorful than the last.
  • It takes roughly the same amount of time as waiting for a delivery order, and honestly tastes twice as good.
02 -
  • Do not walk away from the garlic once it hits the butter because it goes from golden and fragrant to bitter in seconds and that bitterness will haunt the entire dish.
  • Saving a splash of pasta water before draining gives you a quick fix if the sauce ever feels too thick or clingy when you toss everything together.
03 -
  • Let the chicken sit undisturbed in the skillet for the first 3 minutes before stirring so a real crust forms, because that golden sear is where the flavor lives.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly over the pan so the oils spray into the sauce instead of staying trapped on your cutting board.

Go Back