Pasta with Garlic Butter Rotisserie Chicken
This is the best way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken that isn’t enough on its own. It makes a pasta dish that everyone in the family will love.
Introduction
The last time I made pasta for my family, I stood over the fire with a fork and ate the penne straight out of the pot while making sure no one was watching. This rotisserie chicken pasta is different from typical pasta night dishes because of the easy-to-make garlic butter sauce.
The dish is very easy, and it lets you turn leftovers into a rotisserie chicken supper without having you feel like you’re eating leftovers again. You can use chunks or shredded rotisserie chicken; either works!
Details
- Serves: 6
- Time to get ready: 5 minutes
- Time to cook: 15 minutes
- Time: 20 minutes
This rotisserie chicken pasta is a great meal for any night of the week because it tastes like garlic, herbs, and olive oil.
Things You Need
- 16 ounces of penne pasta
- About ½ rotisserie chicken, cut into 2 cups
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Four tablespoons of butter without salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or ground pepper
- ¼ cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley or 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup of parmesan cheese
The Best Spices & Herbs for Chicken Pasta
Both chicken and pasta have a neutral flavor, so you may add any herb or spice you like to them. Use fresh basil, thyme, lemon thyme, or parsley. You can also use dry Italian seasoning, dried parsley, or a mix of dried parsley and oregano.
How to do it
Making the pasta:
- Put a lot of water in a big pot and bring it to a boil. Then, cook the pasta according to the guidelines on the package.Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
- When the pasta is almost done but still a touch hard, add the chopped chicken to it a few minutes before you drain the water.This will warm up the chopped chicken and make it moist again.
- Take the water out and put the chicken and noodles back in the saucepan.
Make the sauce:
- Put the olive oil, butter, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes or ground black pepper in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture often and cook it for approximately two minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown and smells good but isn’t burnt.If you’re using Italian seasoning, add it to the sauce to make the flavors less strong.Shut off the heat.
Put together:
- Add the fresh parsley and parmesan cheese to the pasta and pour the garlic sauce over it. Mix everything together until the sauce covers all the spaghetti.
Is this your first time making this? Check out this little video to discover how to make it!
Pasta Sauce with Olive Oil and Butter
The olive oil and butter in the pasta sauce give it the great taste of olive oil and the rich, creamy texture of butter. The most crucial thing is that the olive oil has a high smoke point, which helps you toast the garlic without burning the butter.
Fast Sides for This Recipe
Rotisserie Chicken Pasta is a great meal on its own, but I always like to add a side dish to get more nutrients. For example, this easy Bruschetta Salad, this light Corn and Tomato Salad, or this Easy Side Salad. You can put any of them together in five minutes, and you’ll have extra veggies for dinner!
Make these fast Steamed Green Beans, Sautéed Cabbage, or Spicy Asparagus in a Pan if you want a warm side for pasta that is still healthy. Tasty, healthy, and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes!
More Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
Dinner recipes that employ rotisserie chicken save me a lot of time in the kitchen. When I buy a full rotisserie chicken, I use half of it for this chicken spaghetti and the other half in a lot of various ways. One chicken makes a lot of great meals!
Take the half-eaten chicken and prepare my Chicken Taco Soup, my Rotisserie Chicken Chili, or my Chicken Noodle Soup. More of the crew that eats with their hands? You are going to love these Chicken Pita Wraps and this Rotisserie Chicken Tacos!