Name: Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Creamy Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs if you’re a dark meat person); 4 tablespoons butter (the real deal, not that margarine nonsense); 6 cloves garlic, minced (or more, I don’t police garlic amounts); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked if you’ve got it); Salt and pepper (be generous); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; Juice from half a lemon; 12 oz pasta (I like fettuccine or penne, but whatever you’ve got works); 2 tablespoons butter; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1.5 cups milk (whole milk makes it creamier, but 2% works too); 1/2 cup heavy cream (this is not the time for calorie counting); 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (not the stuff in the green can, please); 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but that little kick is worth it); Salt and black pepper to taste; 1/4 cup reserved pasta water (trust me on this one)

Description

Listen, I came up with this dish on one of those weeknights when I needed something that would make my family think I spent hours in the kitchen (spoiler: I didn’t). These garlic butter chicken bites are exactly what they sound like – juicy pieces of chicken swimming in a ridiculous amount of garlic butter. Then I toss them with this creamy parmesan pasta that soaks up all that garlicky goodness. It’s basically a hug in food form. The kind of meal where everyone at the table goes quiet for the first few minutes because they’re too busy shoveling it into their faces.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Bites:

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs if you’re a dark meat person)
4 tablespoons butter (the real deal, not that margarine nonsense)
6 cloves garlic, minced (or more, I don’t police garlic amounts)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked if you’ve got it)
Salt and pepper (be generous)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Juice from half a lemon

For the Creamy Parmesan Pasta:

12 oz pasta (I like fettuccine or penne, but whatever you’ve got works)
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.5 cups milk (whole milk makes it creamier, but 2% works too)
1/2 cup heavy cream (this is not the time for calorie counting)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (not the stuff in the green can, please)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but that little kick is worth it)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup reserved pasta water (trust me on this one)