Honestly, sometimes you just want that gooey, rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavor of your favorite steakhouse chicken, but you really, really don’t want to change out of your comfy pants, right? That’s exactly why I chased down this recipe! For ages, I thought replicating that deep, savory, buttery sauce was some kind of gourmet secret—it always ended up either too thin or, worse, curdled.
Then I cracked the code, and trust me, this method for how to make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet is the only way to go. It’s truly foolproof, giving you that amazing texture reminiscent of a great skillet chicken every single time. My first batch, I used way too much cayenne and nearly burned the garlic, but after a few tries, this creamy dinner became my weeknight superhero. You are going to absolutely love how easy this foolproof chicken recipe is!
Why This Is the Foolproof Chicken Recipe You Need
You’ve got dinner on the table in under 40 minutes, which is a win in my book. Forget fancy, complicated steps. This recipe nails the signature savory flavor without any stress!
- It tastes just like the restaurant version, but you control all the ingredients.
- It’s truly a one-skillet wonder—less cleanup means more time relaxing.
- This foolproof chicken recipe works even if you’re having a chaotic night.
That’s why once you master this Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet, you won’t look back. It’s total comfort food achievement unlocked!
Gathering Ingredients for How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Okay, let’s talk about what you need to pull this off. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s all pantry staples plus the chicken, but the way we use them is what really matters. You’ll want to separate your items into two groups: what we do to the chicken first, and then all the magic that creates that luscious sauce.
Remember, the fresher the better, especially that cilantro garnish—it just pops with flavor when it’s fresh! Don’t try to substitute the heavy cream, please; that’s non-negotiable for true richness in this Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet experience. Grab your knife and cutting board; we’re getting prepped!
For the Chicken and Marinade
This is where we build the first layer of flavor before the butter sauce even comes into play. Make sure you cut your chicken evenly!
- 1.5 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
For the Butter Sauce Component of How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
This is the star of the show! Don’t forget to taste that cayenne pepper before you add it in—it’s adjustable based on how much heat your crew can handle.
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 small Yellow onion, Finely chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper, Adjust to taste
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, Chopped, for garnish
Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Foolproof Chicken Recipe
This is where the magic happens! We’re going to move fast, but take your time in each stage, especially when building that flavor base. Remember, this is designed to be your foolproof chicken recipe, so just follow along at your own pace. Having everything prepped makes this incredibly smooth!
Seasoning and Browning the Chicken
First thing’s first, get your chicken pieces—remember, about 1-inch chunks—tossed really well in that simple salty, peppery, paprika, and garlic powder mix. Don’t skimp on the seasoning; that’s flavor number one! Heat up that olive oil in your large skillet over medium-high heat. You want it nice and hot before the chicken hits the pan. Cook the seasoned chicken until it’s beautifully browned and cooked all the way through. That usually takes about 5 to 7 minutes. Once it’s done, scoop that chicken right out and set it aside on a clean plate. Don’t wipe out the pan—we need those tasty brown bits!
Building the Flavor Base for How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Now we drop the heat to medium; we don’t want to burn that beautiful butter. Melt the four tablespoons of butter right into the skillet. Once it’s sizzly, toss in your finely chopped onion and let it soften up, which takes maybe three minutes. Next come the heavy hitters: minced garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and that cayenne. Stir this mixture constantly for just one minute until you can really smell those spices waking up. This is crucial for deep flavor! Now, pour in the chicken broth and bring it up to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up every single browned bit stuck to the bottom—that’s called the fond, and it’s pure gold for your sauce! You can find another great way to build flavor in my recipe for creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta.
Finishing the Sauce and Combining Ingredients
Time to make it creamy! Stir in the heavy cream and the sugar. Let this sauce gently simmer for about five minutes. It’ll thicken up nicely on its own. Once it coats the back of a spoon just a little, it’s ready. Carefully return all that cooked chicken back into the skillet. Give it a good stir so every piece gets smothered in that rich butter sauce. Let it heat through for just a final minute or two. Turn the heat off, sprinkle on that fresh cilantro, and boom! You’ve nailed the recipe for how to make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet!
Expert Tips for the Best Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Making this great is easy, but making it *restaurant-perfect* takes a few tricks I learned through trial and error. Don’t skip these pointers if you want that authentic, deep flavor!
First, and this is a big one: when you brown the chicken, make sure you don’t overcrowd the skillet! Seriously, if you pile it all in, the chicken will steam instead of sear, and we need that nice caramelized crust. Cook it in batches if you have to. Also, use high-quality, real butter, not that substitute stuff. That’s where so much of the richness comes from!
When you’re stirring in the tomato paste and spices, really let them cook for that full minute until they smell fragrant—that’s called blooming the spices, and it makes a huge difference in the final sauce depth. You can check out some other techniques that create amazing flavor profiles in my melt in your mouth chicken recipe guide too!
Finally, scrape those browned bits hard when you add the broth. That fond clinging to the bottom of the pan is flavor concentrated, and we want every single bit of it swimming in our final creamy sauce.
Equipment Check for This Foolproof Chicken Recipe
The best part about this foolproof chicken recipe? You don’t need a kitchen full of fancy gadgets! Honestly, I made the first batch using the pan I had on hand, and it was still fantastic.
But to make sure you get that perfect sear and sauce consistency, having these three basics ready will make everything so much easier:
- A Large skillet: This is essential so you can move the chicken around and make sure you don’t overcrowd it when browning.
- Your trusty Cutting board: For prepping those chicken pieces and finely chopping that onion.
- A good Knife: You need a sharp one for dicing up the onion and mincing the garlic nice and small so it melts beautifully into the sauce.
That’s it! No immersion blenders, no specialized pans—just the good old tools that every home cook has lying around. Sometimes simple really is the best way to go when you’re making comfort food like this.
Serving Suggestions for How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Now that you’ve made this gloriously creamy and savory skillet chicken—which, by the way, deserves a standing ovation—you need the perfect vehicle to soak up every last drop of that butter sauce! Trust me, leaving that sauce behind is a crime against flavor.
The recipe notes mentioned the classics, and they are classics for a reason. Fluffy white rice is my go-to; it acts like a perfect sponge. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, warm, fluffy Naan bread is absolutely amazing for scooping. I love dunking big pieces until the Naan is totally saturated with the sauce.
But if you want to make this a truly balanced, fantastic weeknight plate, I always pair it with something green to cut through the richness. Roasted asparagus is my favorite—just toss it with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil, and roast it until it’s tender-crisp. The slight bitterness of the asparagus just balances the richness of the butter chicken perfectly. My friend swears by pairing it with simple mashed potatoes, too, which makes it feel even more like a hearty steakhouse meal. You can check out how I combine chicken with pasta sometimes, too, for a totally different experience over at my recipe for easy cowboy butter chicken linguine!
Whatever you choose, make sure you serve it hot right out of the skillet!
Storage and Reheating for Your Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
So, you managed to have leftovers? Lucky you! Store any remaining Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet in a truly airtight container. Pop it in the fridge, and it’ll be good for about three to four days. It tastes just as good the next day, honestly.
When you’re ready to eat it again, skip the microwave if you can. Microwaves can sometimes make that creamy sauce a little funny. Just reheat it slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat. If it seems a little too thick, add just a splash of chicken broth until it gets back to that perfect saucy consistency. Easy peasy!
Frequently Asked Questions About This Foolproof Chicken Recipe
I always get so many questions after someone tries this recipe for the first time because they are just as shocked as I was at how simple it is to get that amazing flavor! Here are a few things readers often ask when they’re making their first batch of the foolproof chicken recipe.
Can I make the butter sauce ahead of time?
You totally can! The butter sauce base—where you cook the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and spices, and then add the broth—can be made up to two days ahead of time. Store it in the fridge. But here’s the catch: you absolutely must add the heavy cream and sugar right before serving or right before you return the chicken to the pan. The sauce texture changes weirdly if you reheat it with the heavy cream already added, so keep that separate until the very last moment!
What is the best substitute for heavy cream in this skillet chicken?
If you’re out of heavy cream, don’t panic! Since we want that creamy texture, your second-best bet is using half-and-half, but you’ll want to simmer it a bit longer to thicken it up, maybe an extra three or four minutes. You could also use full-fat canned coconut milk, but be warned—it *will* impart a tiny bit of coconut flavor which some people actually love as a twist on the standard Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet. I haven’t tried milk yet because I worry about curdling at that heat level, so stick to the cream or half-and-half for the best results.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Oh, yes, absolutely! Chicken thighs are actually fantastic here because they stay incredibly juicy even when you cook them a little past what you might think is ‘done.’ Just be aware that dark meat takes a little longer to brown up initially—maybe 7 to 9 minutes instead of 5 to 7. When you return the thighs to the sauce at the end, use a meat thermometer to make sure they hit 165°F internally for safety, though truthfully, they’re better past 175°F!
How spicy does this skillet chicken actually get?
That’s all up to you! The recipe calls for just 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and for most people, that gives you a nice, warm little kick at the end of the bite—not mouth-burning heat. If you’re sensitive to spice, cut that amount in half or just leave it out entirely. If you love heat the way I do, feel free to bump it up to a full teaspoon. The flavor profile of the cumin and coriander stays the same, it’s just the background warmth that changes based on the cayenne!
Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for How to Make Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
So, we’ve made this incredible, rich, savory chicken—but what about the fuel factor? I always like sharing this information, but please take these numbers with a grain of salt! I’m a home cook, not a certified nutritionist, and these figures are based on my estimated ingredient quantities and standard calculations for this Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet.
The exact numbers can change based on the fat content of your cream or the cut of chicken you use, but this gives you a great general idea of what you’re serving up. It’s definitely a hearty meal!
- Calories: 550
- Protein: 45 grams
- Fat: 35 grams (About 18g saturated)
- Carbohydrates: 10 grams
- Sodium: 600 mg
See that protein count? That chicken is putting in some serious work! This truly is a satisfying dinner. Remember, this snapshot is for the chicken and sauce only, so if you pile it high over rice or smother it in naan bread, your final numbers will shift a little. But even as is, this is a decadent weeknight treat!
Texas Roadhouse Butter Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl, toss the cut chicken pieces with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir in the heavy cream and sugar. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly.
- Return the cooked chicken to the skillet. Stir to coat the chicken completely in the butter sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.
