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This is the perfect recipe to use up those rotisserie chicken leftovers that are not enough on their own and make a pasta meal the whole family will devour.
Garlic Butter Rotisserie Chicken Pasta
Every time I make this recipe for my family, I hope for leftovers, it’s that good. The simple garlic butter sauce makes this rotisserie chicken pasta a breeze to make, and it feels lighter than eating creamy rotisserie chicken Alfredo.
Ingredients
Pasta of any shape and about half a rotisserie chicken build this meal. The sauce is made by combining olive oil and butter, giving it a rich taste without using cream, and garlic, salt, herbs (dried or fresh), and Parmesan cheese for flavor.
Best Herbs and Spices for Chicken Pasta
Chicken and pasta are both neutral-flavored, which means they pair great with any herbs and spices you want to add. This recipe includes fresh parsley, which can be swapped for thyme or basil. Italian seasoning can be substituted for dried oregano and parsley (I usually mix them). The red pepper flakes add a hint of spice; add more if needed.
How to Make Rotisserie Chicken Pasta
If you can cook pasta, you can make this recipe. Plus, you’ll find a quick video showing you how it’s made in the recipe card. Here is an overview:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. About 2 minutes before the time in the box, I add the chicken to the water to warm it up and make it moist. Return the pasta and chicken to the pot once drained.
- Make the sauce in a small saucepan while the pasta cooks. It only takes about 2 minutes, so keep an eye on the garlic to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Pour the garlic sauce over the chicken and pasta, add the Parmesan, and combine.
- Serve it warm, with a slice of no-knead crusty bread, a little bruschetta salad, or an easy side salad.
Olive Oil and Butter Pasta Sauce
Using both gives the sauce that olive oil flavor that pairs well with herbs, along with the rich, creamy texture of butter. Most importantly, the olive oil’s high smoke point lets you toast the garlic without browning the butter.
More Recipes to Make with Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
Use half of a rotisserie in this recipe and the other half to make chicken taco soup, rotisserie chicken chili, pita wraps, or easy chicken tacos.
Garlic & Herb Rotisserie Chicken Pasta
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped, about ½ rotisserie
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, reduce by half if butter is salted
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, or ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, basil)
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
- A couple of minutes before draining the water, when the pasta is nearly done but a little tough, add the chopped chicken to the pasta. This will heat up the chopped chicken and make it moist again.
- Drain the water and return the pasta and chicken to the pot.
Make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil, butter, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes or ground black pepper. Cook the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is toasted to a golden color and fragrant but not burned. If you're using Italian seasoning, add it to the sauce to soften the seasonings. Turn off the heat.
Combine:
- Pour the garlic sauce over the pasta, and add the fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Toss to combine, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.
Todd says
I just made this for my family. Absolutely delicious! Just enough garlic flavor to balance with the chicken. Will make again!
Kelly Flowers says
Fun recipe, but don’t agree with adding the rotisserie chicken to the pasta water while the pasta is still cooking. Rotisserie chicken is already very moist and warm (unless you’ve driven a few hours from the grocery store home or are using day-old chicken breast only), so adding it to the pasta water while the pasta is still cooking just makes the chicken less flavorful by leeching out most of its flavor (even if you leave it in the water for just a minute or two, as indicated in the recipe above). Instead, drain the pasta and then mix the chicken right in along with the sauce and your pasta will be perfectly hot and the chicken will have retained all of its rotisserie moistness and flavor. If your chicken is a day or so old, just mix it into the sauce once it is made, stir a little bit, and then add to the hot pasta. Or if it is really, really dry, save a little bit of the pasta water to add back in after the chicken and sauce. Your chicken will retain all of its flavor, and be moist and warm.
Laura Fuentes says
I understand what you mean about warming up the chicken in the water, especially if the chicken is fresh from that day, tossing it with the pasta is sufficient. Day old rotisserie loses some of its hydration, and unfortunately sometimes you get home from the store and the rotisserie is a bit dry, so that is why I recommended heating it up in the water -which is 100x better than heating it up in the microwave (as some people have done before) and it keeps the recipe really easy. I would agree with you that if your chicken is juicy tossing it with the pasta would work, and reserving the pasta water is a great tip!