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close-up of garlic butter chicken pasta. garnished with fresh parsley.
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Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta

Quick and easy Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta made with juicy chicken, garlic, and herbs, all cooked in one pan. A comforting weeknight dinner ready in under 30 minutes.
Prep Time8 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time18 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 316kcal
Author: Preeti

Equipment

  • 1 Heavy bottom skillet or pan

Ingredients

  • 150 grams spaghetti or dry noodles

To marinate the chicken

  • 300 grams boneless skinless chicken breast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch or cornflour

For the sauce

  • ½ cup of pasta water reserved after cooking pasta or chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon salt optional: pasta water and soy sauce are salty so add salt accordingly
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch/cornflour

Other ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter - to pan fry the chicken pieces.
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Cook pasta in salted water as per package directions. Cook 1 minute less than the time instructed on the package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain and keep them aside.
  • Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Sprinkle cornstarch over it, combine, and set it aside.
  • In a small bowl, combine pasta water, salt, dark soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper, and cornstarch. Your sauce mix is ready. Set it aside.
  • Heat 2 teaspoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, leaving some space between them so they cook crispy. Flip the chicken once its side starts to turn golden. Cook until golden on the other side too. Do not aim for a dark brown color, or the chicken will get overcooked.
  • Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the excess oil in the pan.
  • Reduce the heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Add garlic. Sauté until the garlic is light golden (not dark brown). Now add red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to garlic butter. Cook for a few seconds.
  • Increase the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoon water to deglaze the pan. Scrape any tiny bits sticking to the bottom of the pan with your spatula.
  • Stir the prepared sauce and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, until the pasta sauce thickens.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan and cook it in the sauce for a minute. It helps to retain the moisture in chicken.
  • Add the cooked noodles and toss until everything is combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat.
  • Add Cilantro (coriander leaves)/parsley. Garlic Butter Chicken Noodles are ready to serve. For an extra burst of cheesy goodness, sprinkle some Parmesan on top. It's incredibly delicious.

Video

Notes

  • Fresh garlic for best flavor: I always use finely chopped fresh garlic instead of paste for the best flavor.
  • Cook the pasta al dente: Al dente means the pasta should have a slight bite. I prefer to cook it one minute less than the package instructions. This way, when we cook it again with the sauce, the pasta won't get overcooked. Reserve pasta water as it is the base of our pasta sauce that adds a ton of flavor to this pasta recipe.
  • Don’t overcook the garlic: Be very careful while cooking garlic; it can turn bitter if overcooked (if it gets a dark brown color).
  • Don’t overcook the chicken: Do not aim for a dark golden color while pan-searing the chicken. Chicken breasts get overcooked easily.
  • Butter & Olive Oil: Both add flavor. You can reduce the quantity of butter and add more olive oil, or increase the quantity of butter and reduce the olive oil. Either way, this pasta recipe tastes great.
  • Be very careful while adding salt to the sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt accordingly. Pasta water and soy sauce both are salty, so taste the sauce and add salt only if required.
  • Storage: Store the leftover garlic butter chicken pasta within 2 hours of cooking. Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. It stays good for 2-3 days. This is not a freezer-friendly recipe, as the texture of pasta changes (after freezing and thawing)
  • Read our full nutrition disclaimer here. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg