My butter chicken pasta is a rich, creamy dish inspired by the flavors of India. Seasoned chicken breast chunks are cooked in ghee, then added to a rich, creamy, boldly-seasoned sauce along with gluten-free pasta for a dish that's easy to make and full of flavor.
As you might imagine, pasta dishes have a special place in my heart. I'm Italian, after all! And while I love all kinds of delicious Italian pasta dishes, one thing that's so great about any kind of noodle is that you can pair them with so many different kinds of flavors.
For this recipe, I combined my love of creamy pasta dishes with the flavors of India to create this buttered chicken pasta recipe. It's rich, creamy, and full of zesty flavor. It's also incredibly easy to make, and that never hurts!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Buttered Chicken Pasta
- Butter Chicken Pasta Video
- Ingredients
- Flavor Variations
- How to Make This Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Hint
- Storage
- What to Serve with This Butter Chicken Pasta Skillet
- Tips for the Best Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe
- More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Buttered Chicken Pasta
- Simple Ingredients: This recipe uses simple ingredients found in your kitchen or at your local grocery store. Even the Ghee can be found at most stores or online at Amazon.
- Easy: This is a one-pan meal that's ready in just about 30 minutes.
- Flavorful: This recipe explodes with flavor in every bite thanks to its bold seasonings.
- Feeds a Crowd: Not only is this recipe easy, but it makes enough to feed a hungry family. A VERY hungry family.
Butter Chicken Pasta Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast: Chicken breast is meaty with a mild flavor that pairs well with a variety of flavors.
- Himalayan Pink Salt Ghee (Jar): 4th & Heart Himalayan Pink Salt Ghee is the brand I prefer. It's non-GMO, lactose and casein-free, and certified paleo.
- Seasonings: A blend of coriander, garlic powder, turmeric, ginger and pepper gives the chicken an Indian-inspired flavor.
For the Sauce
- Gluten-Free Fusilli Pasta: Fusilli has a wonderful, textured shape that holds the sauce well.
- Salted Ghee (Stick): I prefer 4th & Heart salted ghee sticks because of their high quality. They're sourced from pasture-raised New Zealand and Australian cows and are lactose-free.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream gives the sauce its rich, creamy texture.
- Natural Almond Butter: Almond butter adds more richness to the sauce.
- Tomato Sauce and Paste: Tomato sauce and paste give the sauce a deep tomato flavor that's the perfect base for the seasonings.
- Seasonings: A blend of cilantro, red pepper, onion, and garlic adds a punch of flavor to every bite.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Chicken: You can use cubed pork chops or your favorite shellfish in this recipe.
- Mild: Omit the red pepper flakes for a milder version of this recipe.
- Lactose-Free: Use plant milk to make a lactose-free version of this recipe. Ghee is naturally lactose-free, so there's no need to substitute it with plant butter.
- Pasta: I prefer fusilli, but you can use any textured, short noodle for this recipe.
How to Make This Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe
For the Chicken
1: Boil the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Then, drain it, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set it aside.
2: Wash and pat the chicken dry, then cut it into cubes.
3: Combine the chicken and all the chicken seasonings with lemon juice in a medium bowl and stir well to coat it uniformly.
4: Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add the chicken and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl.
For the Sauce
1: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the salted ghee butter. Then, add the garlic and minced onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
2: Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and seasoning and stir well.
3: Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water if the sauce looks too thick. Then, add the almond butter and heavy cream and bring it to a light simmer.
4: Stir well, then add the chicken and stir again.
5: Add the noodles and gently stir. Then, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Hint
To ensure your pasta is perfectly al dente, you can either cook it according to the directions on the box and rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking, or you can remove it a minute or two before the time indicated on the box. This ensures it
Storage
Refrigerate this butter chicken pasta for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. I don't recommend freezing it. Cream sauces almost always break when you reheat them.
To reheat the dish, microwave individual portions at 30-second intervals until heated through, or add the entire dish to a skillet and cook over medium-low heat until heated through.
What to Serve with This Butter Chicken Pasta Skillet
This rich, creamy dish is an entire meal in and of itself. So, I recommend keeping things simple with simple sides like asparagus or a light zucchini and squash medley.
For dessert, enjoy something as rich and creamy as your meal with treats like Oreo cheesecake, Nutella cake, or salted caramel cookie sandwiches.
Tips for the Best Butter Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Either rinse your pasta with cold water when it's cooked to al dente or drain it a minute or two before the time indicated on the box. This ensures it won't overcook when you add it to the simmering sauce.
- Normally, you don't have to wash chicken. But rinsing and patting it dry in this case allows the seasonings to stick to it more readily.
- Let the minced onion and garlic cook in the tomato mixture until its fragrant to release as much flavor as possible into the sauce.
- Bring your sauce to a slight simmer. It should only bubble the tiniest bit. This prevents the cream from curdling.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Steak Pasta Alfredo
- Marry Me Shrimp Pasta
- Chicken and Sausage Pasta
- Pasta and Pork Chops
- Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghee is a type of clarified butter made by melting the butter to remove the milk solids from the fat.
Yes, ghee is safe for people who are lactose intolerant. Because the milk solids are removed from the ghee, it contains no lactose.
Ghee has a nutty, roasted, or caramel-like flavor that's often described as richer and cleaner than butter.
You can use regular butter instead of ghee, but the flavor profile of the dish will change somewhat. In addition, if you're lactose-intolerant, you'll have to use a plant butter substitution.
Related
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📖 Recipe
Butter Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoon 4th & Heart Himalayan Pink Salt Ghee (Jar)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ginger
For the Pasta and Sauce
- 12 oz gluten-free fusilli
- 4 tablespoon 4th & Heart Salted Ghee Butter (Stick)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¾ teaspoon cilantro
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon almond butter natural
- 1 cup pasta water
- fresh cilantro for garnish diced
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Then drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set it aside.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry. Then, dice it into cubes.
- Add the chicken, lemon juice, salt, coriander, garlic powder, turmeric, black pepper, and ginger to a bowl and stir well to coat evenly.
- Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add the chicken and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently until it's no longer pink and the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
For the Sauce
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the salted ghee butter. Add the garlic and onion to the melted ghee and cook for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring.
- Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cumin, crushed red pepper, cilantro, and salt, and stir well. At this point, add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Stir in the almond butter and heavy cream and bring the mixture to a slight simmer.
- Add the chicken and stir well. Then, add the pasta and gently stir. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
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