This Texas Roadhouse butter chicken skillet is a rich and comforting dinner with tender, juicy chicken and an incredibly flavorful garlic butter sauce. If you’re looking to bring those famous restaurant flavors right into your own kitchen, this satisfying skillet is the answer!
You might be thinking another chicken recipe? But the sauce is the star here, and it’s delicious! It’s always fun to recreate a steakhouse favorite at home, and this buttery, garlicky upgrade may just be the new weeknight staple you’ve been looking for.
Ingredients in Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
This straightforward lineup of everyday ingredients builds a sauce that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
This recipe uses a simple sear-and-simmer method in one skillet, building flavor at every stage with minimal cleanup required.
1. Prepare and season the chicken
Pound the chicken breasts to an even ¾-inch thickness using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan. Season both sides generously with salt, black pepper, paprika, and a pinch of Italian seasoning. Even thickness is key here it ensures the chicken cooks through at the same rate without any dry or undercooked spots.
2. Sear the chicken
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of oil. Once the butter is foaming, add the chicken breasts and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side, without moving them, until deeply golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil while you build the sauce.
3. Build the garlic butter sauce
In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just softened. Pour in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan that fond is pure flavor and should not be left behind.
4. Add the cream and simmer
Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Add the remaining Italian seasoning and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a small squeeze of lemon juice.
5. Return the chicken and finish
Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the sauce and spoon the sauce generously over the top. Let everything simmer together for 2 to 3 minutes so the chicken soaks up the flavors and the sauce reduces a little more. Scatter fresh chopped parsley over the top and serve immediately straight from the skillet.
How to Serve Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
This skillet is incredible served over a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, which soak up every drop of the buttery sauce in the most satisfying way. I always make extra mashed potatoes because the sauce-to-potato ratio is always the first thing people comment on.
It’s equally wonderful over fluffy white rice or egg noodles if mashed potatoes aren’t in the cards. Any starchy base that can catch all that sauce is the right choice.
For a complete restaurant-style dinner at home, serve it alongside warm dinner rolls and a simple steamed vegetable roasted broccoli or green beans work beautifully and balance out the richness of the sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness this single step makes the biggest difference in achieving juicy, evenly cooked chicken.
- Don’t move the chicken while it sears undisturbed contact with the hot pan is what creates the deep golden crust.
- Scrape up every browned bit when you deglaze the pan; those caramelized pieces add enormous flavor to the sauce.
- Use real butter throughout, not a substitute the flavor and texture of the sauce depends on it.
- Add a pinch of cayenne to the sauce for a gentle warmth that deepens the flavor without making it spicy.
- The sauce will thicken further as it cools, so pull it off the heat just before it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of extra broth to loosen the sauce.
- Slice the chicken before returning it to the sauce if you prefer it served in pieces rather than whole breasts.
Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
20
minutesIngredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
- Prepare and season the chicken:
Pound the chicken breasts to an even ¾-inch thickness using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan. Season both sides generously with salt, black pepper, paprika, and a pinch of Italian seasoning. Even thickness is key here it ensures the chicken cooks through at the same rate without any dry or undercooked spots. - Sear the chicken:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of oil. Once the butter is foaming, add the chicken breasts and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side, without moving them, until deeply golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil while you build the sauce. - Build the garlic butter sauce:
In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just softened. Pour in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan that fond is pure flavor and should not be left behind. - Add the cream and simmer:
Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Add the remaining Italian seasoning and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a small squeeze of lemon juice. - Return the chicken and finish:
Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the sauce and spoon the sauce generously over the top. Let everything simmer together for 2 to 3 minutes so the chicken soaks up the flavors and the sauce reduces a little more. Scatter fresh chopped parsley over the top and serve immediately straight from the skillet.
