Description
A flavorful pasta dish with chicken, broccoli, and a zesty cowboy butter lemon sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz bowtie (farfalle) pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for searing)
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (plus lemon wedges for serving)
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more/less to taste)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (or reserved pasta water)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (optional, for that melty look)
Instructions
- Cook pasta + broccoli: Boil pasta in salted water. In the last 2 minutes, add broccoli to the pot. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Season chicken: Toss chicken with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Sear chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 4–6 minutes, stirring, until browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Make cowboy butter sauce: Lower heat to medium. Add butter and melt. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add Dijon, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, parsley, and broth (or pasta water). Simmer 1–2 minutes.
- Toss it all: Add pasta + broccoli back to the skillet, then return chicken. Toss until coated. If you want it extra creamy/melty, stir in mozzarella until melted.
- Finish: Taste and adjust (more lemon, salt, or pepper flakes). Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Adjust red pepper flakes to your spice preference.
- Reserve pasta water to help thicken the sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 140mg
Keywords: Cowboy chicken broccoli butter lemon bowtie, Lemon butter chicken bowtie, Chicken broccoli bowtie pasta, Cowboy butter sauce, Easy chicken pasta dinner, Garlic lemon butter pasta