Name: Garlic Butter Chicken Bites With Creamy Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients: 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs work too if that’s your jam); 4 tablespoons butter (salted is fine, we’re not baking here); 6 cloves garlic, minced (yes, SIX – and no, that’s not too many); 1 tablespoon olive oil (helps prevent the butter from burning); 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (the jar in your cabinet that’s probably expired but still works); ½ teaspoon paprika (smoked if you have it, regular if you don’t); ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust if you’re a spice wimp); Salt and pepper (be generous here); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried if you forgot to buy fresh…again); Juice of half a lemon (trust me on this one); 12 ounces pasta (fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti – whatever shape makes you happy); 2 tablespoons butter; 3 cloves garlic, minced (yes, more garlic – just accept it); 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1½ cups whole milk (2% works too, but don’t come at me with skim); ½ cup heavy cream (this is not diet food, people); ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan (not the stuff in the green can, please); Salt and pepper to taste; ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (sounds weird, tastes amazing); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; Extra Parmesan for serving (because there’s no such thing as too much cheese)

Description

So I came up with this recipe on a Wednesday night when I was craving something ridiculously comforting but didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. These garlic butter chicken bites are exactly what they sound like – juicy chunks of chicken swimming in a garlicky butter sauce – but paired with this creamy parmesan pasta that soaks up all that amazing flavor. It’s basically the food equivalent of a warm hug. The pasta gets all silky and the chicken gets this gorgeous golden crust that’s loaded with garlic flavor. I’ve made it probably 20 times now, and everyone I serve it to basically licks their plate clean.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs work too if that’s your jam)
4 tablespoons butter (salted is fine, we’re not baking here)
6 cloves garlic, minced (yes, SIX – and no, that’s not too many)
1 tablespoon olive oil (helps prevent the butter from burning)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (the jar in your cabinet that’s probably expired but still works)
½ teaspoon paprika (smoked if you have it, regular if you don’t)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust if you’re a spice wimp)
Salt and pepper (be generous here)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried if you forgot to buy fresh…again)
Juice of half a lemon (trust me on this one)

For the Creamy Pasta:

12 ounces pasta (fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti – whatever shape makes you happy)
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced (yes, more garlic – just accept it)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk (2% works too, but don’t come at me with skim)
½ cup heavy cream (this is not diet food, people)
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan (not the stuff in the green can, please)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (sounds weird, tastes amazing)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Extra Parmesan for serving (because there’s no such thing as too much cheese)