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Cowboy Butter Chicken and Zucchini Noodles – This GORGEOUS 15-minute paleo dinner is simple, easily customizable, and pretty much fail-proof. Golden, tender chicken strips and zoodles are cooked in a scrumptious sauce made from butter, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, and plenty of herbs, bringing so incredible flavors that you’ll want to sip it by the spoon! This cowboy butter chicken is ready in 30 minutes maximum and perfect if you’re starting on a low-carb diet.
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Cowboy Butter Chicken with Zucchini Noodles
- 3 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into strips
- 3 or 4 medium zucchini
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided (grass-fed butter is best for this recipe)
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup (60ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice (we used Sriracha)
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons minced thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the cowboy butter chicken: In a large bowl or shallow plate, season and combine chicken strips with salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Wash and trim the ends of the zucchini. Make the zucchini noodles using a spiralizer or a julienne peeler. Set aside in a salad bowl.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the chicken strips in one layer and cook for one minute without stirring.
4. Add minced garlic, and red chili pepper flakes then stir up the chicken strips to cook on the other side for a couple of minutes, until almost cooked through. Make sure not to overcook chicken at this time – otherwise, it could dry up. Remove from the skillet and set aside to a plate.
5. In the same skillet, melt 3 remaining tablespoons butter, then stir in lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, cayenne, paprika, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and allow the sauce to reduce for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.
6. Stir in the fresh parsley, chopped chives, and minced thyme, then add the zucchini noodles and toss for 2 or 3 minutes, until zucchini are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a bit (zucchini will render some water). Return the cooked chicken strips back to the pan and cook for another minute. Serve your cowboy butter chicken with zucchini noodles immediately, garnished with more herbs, red chili pepper flakes, and lemon slices. Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tips for the cowboy butter chicken and zucchini noodles recipe
- Zucchini tends to render a lot of water when cooking, so you can sprinkle with salt after spiralizing and allow to sit for a couple of minutes to take off excess water. Rinse well to get rid of salt and drain thoroughly in a colander before cooking.
- You can buy pre-spiralized zucchini and sliced chicken breast in your grocery store, prepping will be even faster!
- Bring chicken at room temperature before cooking, otherwise, it might just steam in the skillet.
How and how long to keep the cowboy butter chicken leftovers?
This cowboy butter chicken keeps well in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat in a skillet with a few drops of water to loosen the sauce.
- Oxo Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer, $20.00
- StarPack Silicone Kitchen Tongs, Set of 2, $15.00
- Lodge 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet, $25.00
More chicken recipes you might like
- Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
- Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs and Green Beans Skillet
- 15-Minute Garlic Butter Chicken with Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
- 15-Minute Chicken Stir Fry Noodles
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Leave a Reply
Bethany
2022-06-12 18:49:19
Really good! I didn’t measure exactly, I used sambal Oelek instead of saracha . It was a little spicier than we like, so I added some heavy cream to mellow it out. We loved the flavors and will make again! Great Recipe!
Susan
2021-04-23 21:54:02
Says 20 min prep. No zoodle, chopping, mincing prepping takes longer than that. Made this exactly as recipe said. Picture shows red sauce. It is creamy yellow. Everything turned out pretty good. However it's spicy hot!! I do recommend this as it's very flavorful but for us I will cut spices in half.
