Get ready to meet your new favorite weeknight dinner. These Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites are incredibly juicy, bursting with flavor, and come together in just 20 minutes. Imagine tender, golden-brown chicken pieces swimming in a rich, zesty garlic butter sauce packed with fresh herbs and a gentle kick of spice. It’s a simple yet spectacular dish that solves the “what’s for dinner?” dilemma with delicious authority. Whether you serve them as an appetizer or a main course, they are guaranteed to disappear fast!
Why You’ll Love This Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites Recipe
- Incredibly Fast: This entire meal is on the table in about 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Packed with Flavor: The star of the show, the cowboy butter sauce, is an irresistible combination of savory, zesty, and spicy notes.
- Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of common ingredients to create this show-stopping dish.
- Versatile: These chicken bites are fantastic on their own, over rice, with potatoes, or on top of a salad.
What Is Cowboy Butter?
Cowboy butter is a compound butter sauce that’s more of a modern culinary invention than an old-west tradition. It’s essentially a melted butter sauce supercharged with garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and a medley of herbs and spices like parsley, chives, thyme, paprika, and red pepper flakes. The result is a sauce that’s rich, tangy, savory, and slightly spicy, making it the perfect companion for everything from steak and chicken to seafood and bread.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Chicken Bites
- Chicken Breasts: 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Olive Oil: 1 tablespoon for searing the chicken.
- Seasonings: Salt and black pepper to taste.
For the Cowboy Butter Sauce
- Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick).
- Garlic: 4 cloves, minced.
- Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons, freshly squeezed.
- Dijon Mustard: 1 tablespoon.
- Fresh Parsley: 2 tablespoons, chopped.
- Fresh Chives: 2 tablespoons, chopped.
- Fresh Thyme: 1 teaspoon, chopped.
- Smoked Paprika: 1 teaspoon.
- Red Pepper Flakes: 1/2 teaspoon (or more, to taste).
- Salt & Black Pepper: To taste.
How to Make Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites
Making these zesty chicken bites is a simple, two-stage process: first, you’ll cook the chicken to perfection, and then you’ll create the incredible sauce right in the same pan.
- Prepare the Chicken: Pat the chicken breast cubes dry with a paper towel. This is key to getting a beautiful golden-brown sear. Season them generously with salt and pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces in a single layer, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Work in batches if necessary. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- Start the Sauce: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the stick of butter to the same skillet. Let it melt completely, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan—that’s pure flavor!
- Build the Flavor: Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Be careful not to let it burn. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the Herbs: Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley, chives, and thyme. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Combine and Serve: Return the cooked chicken bites to the skillet. Toss everything together until the chicken is thoroughly coated in the glorious cowboy butter sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips for Perfect, Juicy Chicken Bites
- Uniform Size: Cut the chicken into evenly sized 1-inch cubes to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan: Give the chicken pieces space in the skillet. Overcrowding will cause them to steam instead of sear, and you’ll miss out on that delicious golden crust.
- Use Fresh Herbs: While dried herbs can work in a pinch, fresh herbs provide a much brighter and more robust flavor to the cowboy butter sauce.
- Check for Doneness: The most reliable way to check if chicken is cooked is with an instant-read thermometer. It should register 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part.
What to Serve with Your Chicken Bites
These versatile Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites pair wonderfully with a variety of sides. Spoon them, along with extra sauce, over a bed of fluffy rice or serve them alongside some delicious potatoes.
- For a truly comforting meal, serve them with creamy Gouda Mashed Potatoes.
- A side of Fluffy Honey Cornbread is perfect for sopping up every last drop of the butter sauce.
- Keep it simple and healthy with a side of perfectly cooked Air Fryer Broccoli.
- You can also serve them as an appetizer with toothpicks for easy grabbing at your next party.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, gently warm them in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or chicken broth to keep them from drying out. You can also microwave them in short bursts until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prepare the cowboy butter sauce and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Simply reheat it gently in a skillet before tossing it with freshly cooked chicken.
Absolutely! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a great substitute. They are naturally juicier and may require an extra minute or two of cooking time per side. Just ensure they are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
The most accurate method is to use an instant-read meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the largest piece should be 165°F (74°C). Visually, the chicken should be golden brown on the outside and opaque white on the inside.
Cowboy butter is a savory compound sauce made from melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and a blend of fresh herbs like parsley, chives, and thyme, along with spices like paprika and red pepper flakes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat, adding a splash of water or chicken broth to prevent the chicken from drying out and to refresh the sauce.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
If you loved this recipe, you’re sure to enjoy these other flavorful chicken dishes!
- Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken (coming soon)
- Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Copycat) (coming soon)
- Classic Indian Butter Chicken
The Best Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites Recipe
Cowboy Butter Chicken Bites: The Ultimate 20-Minute Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breast cubes dry with a paper towel. Season them generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter to the same skillet. Once melted, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley, chives, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
- Return the cooked chicken bites to the skillet and toss to coat thoroughly in the cowboy butter sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tip 2: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh herbs for the best, brightest flavor.
Tip 3: Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to control the spice level to your preference.
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