Description

Hello and welcome to this delicious recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Scampi! If you’re a fan of Olive Garden’s comforting and flavorful dishes, you’re in for a treat with this restaurant-quality meal. With its tender sautéed chicken, bell peppers, and a rich buttery scampi sauce, this homemade version brings all the familiar flavors right to your kitchen!

Ingredients

Scale

12 chicken tenderloins (about 1.75 pounds)
½ cup flour for dredging
Vegetable oil for frying
½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
½ green bell pepper, cut into strips
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
12 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

For the Scampi Sauce:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup yellow onion, diced
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ pound unsalted butter (1 stick)

Optional substitutions:

Gluten-free pasta for those with gluten sensitivities.
Swap out chicken tenderloins with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Pasta

Start by boiling a large pot of water. Salt it generously before adding the pasta. Cook the angel hair pasta until it’s just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of the pasta water for later use.

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

While the pasta water heats, coat the chicken tenderloins in seasoned flour. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Step 3: Make the Scampi Sauce

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and minced garlic, cooking until softened, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, parsley, and red pepper flakes, simmering for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter.

Step 4: Combine Everything

In the same pot used for cooking the pasta, sauté the bell peppers and onions until they soften, about 5 minutes. Toss the cooked pasta in the scampi sauce, using reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add salt to taste, then serve topped with the sautéed chicken and freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

Use freshly grated Parmesan to enhance the dish’s savory flavor.
To keep the pasta from clumping, gently toss it in a small amount of olive oil after draining.
If you don’t have white wine, chicken broth can be a good substitute for a milder sauce.