I recreated Olive Garden’s copycat chicken scampi recipe at home and it saved us so much money! I mean, $17.50 for one portion of chicken scampi is kinda crazy, and what if I tell you that you can make 4 portions of this delicious dish for the price of one? Try my recipe, and you will never order it at a restaurant again! One of my favorite things to order at Olive Garden is their famous chicken scampi (I also REALLY love their Alfredo sauce!). Breaded chicken tenders cooked in a creamy wine sauce with bell peppers, and served over thin angel hair pasta. What’s there not to love? But honestly, it can get quite pricey especially if you’re going to eat out with your kids. Olive Garden’s Breadsticks are also a family favorite, they’re unlimited so we just keep them going! But I also make my own homemade version, they’re SO easy to make! So here’s my take on this delicious dish, the best ever chicken scampi! It’s so easy and quick to make, and trust me, it will definitely become one of your family’s favorite dinners!
What Does Scampi Mean?
Chicken Scampi is similar to shrimp scampi. It’s a dish made with chicken tenders or chicken breast, bell peppers, and the sauce is enriched with heavy whipping cream and parmesan to create a creamy savory saucy. Often served over angel hair pasta.
What is Scampi Sauce Made of?
Olive Garden chicken scampi sauce is so simple, but has the best flavor and it’s so creamy! All you need to make it is reserved pasta water, butter, garlic, dry white wine, whipping cream, and parmesan cheese.
How to Make Chicken Scampi
All you need to make this chicken scampi recipe is 25-30 minutes, and a few ingredients!
What You’ll Need:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pasta. Angel hair pasta works best here and that’s what I’ve used, but honestly, you can use any kind of pasta that you have available. Or to keep this low-carb, serve it over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. Chicken tenderloins (they’re called mini chicken fillets in the UK) or chicken breast sliced into strips, and olive oil. All-purpose flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Garlic, red onion, and bell peppers in different colors. Dry white wine. Any type of dry white wine works here, always use dry white wine for savory dishes, and sweeter wine for desserts. Butter, parmesan, whipping cream (or half and half to make it lighter).
The Directions
And that’s it, your chicken scampi is ready and make sure to serve it warm with extra grated parmesan cheese! My favorite thing about this recipe is the chicken tenders. I love their texture, color, and flavor. Chicken tenderloins are very tender, and you don’t need to cook them for too long, 3 minutes on each side is enough and I like to use my kitchen thermometer to make sure that they’re cooked through and that I don’t overcook them. Dredging the chicken tenders in seasoned flour is key, get more flavor in them by seasoning the flour with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. And the flour is what helps them get that lovely crust and color so do not skip this step.
What Is the Best Wine to Use?
Always use dry white wine for cooking savory dishes. I used pinot grigio to make this chicken scampi, but you can also use chardonnay, pinto blanc, sauvignon blanc, or Semillon for cooking (source). I usually buy packs of mini bottles for cooking so that I don’t have too much left that needs to be used up ASAP. Typically chicken scampi is served over angel hair pasta (at least at Olive Garden, it is!), the pasta is also tossed with the tasty sauce (see recipe card below for more details), but feel free to use any pasta that you have available/like. You can also serve this over rice if you prefer, and drizzle the sauce over it. Or keep it low-carb and serve chicken scampi with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. If you love Olive Garden as much as I do, give this chicken scampi a try and make sure to check out my Instant Pot chicken parmesan recipe.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
Teriyaki chicken stir fry Garlic butter chicken tenders Chicken fajita casserole Creamy lemon chicken Marry Me chicken
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