This gluten-free garlic butter chicken pasta is a bold, delicious dish loaded with seasoned chicken chunks and al dente pasta in a zesty garlic butter sauce. It's a delicious chicken dinner everyone will love!
Pasta and chicken are such a great combo. I love how well chicken pairs with almost any seasoning choice, and pasta is always a winner! I routinely make dishes like blackened chicken alfredo and marry me chicken meatballs because they're so easy and so delicious.
Recently, I've added this garlic butter chicken pasta recipe to my rotation. It's lighter than some of my other creamy pasta dishes, but its seasonings and butter give it plenty of rich, bold flavor!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: You'll only need chicken, butter, seasonings, and a few other kitchen staples to make this dish.
- Quick and Easy: It only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish to make this recipe.
- Flavorful: The chicken is juicy and tender, and both it and the sauce are seasoned with a bold blend of spices for a big kick of flavor in every bite.
- Gluten and Dairy-Free: I use dairy-free butter, so this recipe can be enjoyed by almost anyone who isn't a vegetarian.
Ingredients
Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I prefer Springer Mountain Farms chicken breasts. They have a superior flavor and never use animal by-products in their feed, add hormones, or use antibiotics.
- Olive Oil: I use a combination of lemon olive oil and garlic olive oil to give the chicken more flavor as it cooks. I prefer Costabile brand for its exceptional flavor and high quality. Use Code: 15GoldenGK for 15% off.
- Seasonings: A blend of Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and thyme give the chicken a classic flavor profile with an extra-bold kick.
Sauce
- Dairy-Free Butter: Dairy-free butter adds richness and buttery flavor to the sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth adds more flavor and the perfect amount of liquid for a light sauce that coats everything well.
- Seasonings: A blend of dried shallots, paprika, garlic powder, paprika, and Cajun seasoning makes the sauce as bold as the chicken.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a bright citrus note.
- Cornstarch: A blend of cornstarch and water helps thicken the sauce if you prefer.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Mild: For a mild version, omit the Cajun seasoning.
- Olive Oil: If you don't have flavored olive oil, use regular olive oil, along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juices and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.
- Butter: If you don't have dietary restrictions, feel free to use regular butter.
- Protein: This dish works well with shellfish like shrimp, crab, or lobster, too.
- Veggies: Add your favorite vegetables for more color and flavor.
Instructions
1: Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Then, drain it and set it aside.
2: Cube the chicken and place it in a bowl. Then, combine the chicken seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the chicken. Stir until evenly coated.
3: Add the lemon and garlic olive oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Then, cook the chicken in the oil, flipping occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Then, remove it.
4: Lower the heat to medium-low. Then, add the butter, dry shallots, and sauce seasonings. After that, add the lemon juice and chicken broth and stir until combined. You can add the cornstarch slurry if you think the sauce is too thin.
5: Add the cooked pasta and gently stir until well combined. Then, add the cooked chicken and gently stir again. Enjoy!
Hint
Be sure you cook your noodles just to al dente. This ensures the heat from the sauce doesn't make them too soft.
Storage
Refrigerate this garlic butter chicken past for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, freeze it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat the pasta, defrost it if frozen. Then, microwave it at 30-second intervals until heated through.
Expert Tips
- Mix your chicken seasonings before tossing the chicken with them. This ensures an even distribution of flavor.
- Medium-high heat is the best temperature to cook your chicken. It cooks it through quickly and gives it a nice color.
- Rinse your noodles in cold water as soon as they reach al dente. This stops the cooking process and ensures your noodles aren't too soft.
- Be gentle when stirring in the noodles and chicken to prevent breaking up the noodles.
More Delicious Chicken Pasta Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
It tastes almost exactly the same! Plant butter is designed to have the same flavor and texture as regular butter, and many people say they can't tell a difference.
This is a very healthy dish. It's made with lean chicken breasts, olive oil, chicken broth, and plant butter and has no heavy cream.
Remove your noodles as soon as they're al dente. If you're adding them to a sauce later, you may want to rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process, as well.
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 12 oz gluten free spaghetti
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
Sauce
- 1 stick dairy free butter softened
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried shallots
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Cornstarch Slurry (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Chicken
- Boil the pasta per the package direction for al dente. Then, drain it and set it aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts into uniform cubes and place them in a bowl.
- Mix the salt, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Add the seasoning mix to the chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Add the lemon oil and garlic oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. If you don't have these oils, use regular olive oil and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic to the sauce later.
- Cook the chicken for 6 to 7 minutes, flipping occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Then, transfer the chicken to a plate.
Sauce
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter and dry shallots to the pan. Then, add the salt, black pepper, paprika, Cajun seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Add the lemon juice and stir well. Then, add the chicken broth and stir until combiend.
- At this point, add the cornstarch slurry if you feel the sauce is too thin.
- Add the pasta and gently stir until combined. Then, add the chicken and gently stir again.
Notes
- This recipe serves six.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Regular butter can be used in place of dairy-free if you prefer.
Greg says
Delicious 😋
Lathiya says
I made this butter chicken pasta for my kids lunch and they loved it. Now it is in their regular lunch menu.
Tisha says
Such a simple, yet delicious recipe! My family loved this!
Leslie says
This was a great dish! My whole family enjoyed it! So flavorful and easy to put together..it's a keeper!
Juyali says
Yum! That little bit of Cajun spice was the perfect kick.
The sauce is rich but not overwhelming, and the pasta came out perfectly coated. I didn't have a lot of time, so I appreciated how easy and fast it was to make it. Thanks!
Swathi says
Garlic butter chicken pasta is delicious I have tried it my family enjoyed it.
Kim says
This pasta was so delicious! The whole family loved it and I can’t wait to make again.
Genevieve says
I love a good pasta recipe, and you can never go wrong with garlic chicken pasta. This dish looks so easy!
Swathi says
Garlic Butter chicken pasta is perfect meal. My family enjoyed the meal with this pasta and soup.
Sonja says
Mmmmmh garlic butter! Who needs chicken even? Ahem...sorry, no really, the chicken was super delicious too and added the much needed protein. The seasoning came together so quickly and was perfect.
Nora says
This worked exactly as written, thanks! My family loved it!
Steven says
This recipe was so good! It has so much flavor but not overpowering! It’s also really easy to make!
Nicole Kendrick says
SO happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Bernice says
This is the perfect 'no frills' weeknight meal for our family. Sometimes I add steamed veggies or a side salad but this is one we make again and again.