Making Chicken Scampi Recipe, Its Instructions, And Ingredients

The incredibly easy chicken and pasta dish known as “Chicken Scampi” is packed with creamy, buttery richness, subtle wine flavor, touches of sharp lemon, and a ton of freshness from the garlic. It is such a delicious dish!

My chicken scampi and garlic butter chicken bites, two additional must-try recipes, served as inspiration for this dish.

Served on an oval serving dish, chicken scampi includes parsley, lemon, browned chicken chunks, and thin pasta.

Pasta With Scampi Recipe

Chicken parts are cut into bite-sized pieces and mixed with herbs before being pan-fried in high oil till gloriously golden brown.

They are then covered with a delicious white wine reduction, butter, and garlic sauce.

To make it a filling main dish, the mixture is then combined with tender spaghetti. Talk about a delicious supper! You’ll soon have a craving for it again.

And I do not doubt that it surpasses the notorious Olive Garden. A chain restaurant can never compete with homemade food.

Another alternative is to omit the pasta altogether and serve it with another sturdy starch, such as bread, potatoes, or rice, to go with plenty of flavorful sauce.

Supplements And Ingredients For Chicken Scampi

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Boneless skinless chicken thighs will work great too. Just cook a little longer as needed.
• All-purpose flour: I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour. 1 Tbsp cornstarch could be substituted.
• Italian seasoning: You can make your blend using 3/4 tsp dried oregano 3/4 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp marjoram or thyme.
• Salt and pepper: Salt is used to season the chicken and also use to season your pasta when boiling.
• Unsalted butter: Salted butter could be used if needed just cut back on the amount of salt added to the dish.
• Olive oil: You’ll only need a little here. In a pinch, another type of neutral flavored oil could be used.
• Garlic: I only recommend using fresh garlic here.
• Dry white wine: I like to use Sauvignon Blanc. Low sodium chicken broth could be used but it won’t have quite as much flavor.
• Red pepper flakes: These add a nice kick of heat, it can be omitted if preferred. If needed a little cayenne pepper can be substituted.
• Fresh lemon juice: If you had to lime juice could replace it.
• Thin spaghetti: Other good options are standard spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, or fettuccine.
• Parsley: Dried could be substituted (I’d use 1 – 2 Tbsp), it just won’t be quite as fresh and flavorful.
• Parmesan cheese: Romano cheese will work great too.

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Making Chicken Scampi

1. Boil water in the pot: Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook pasta (cook according to directions on the package, to al dente. I find it’s best to start cooking the pasta in the boiling water while the wine is reduced in sauce).
2. Dry chicken, toss with flour and seasonings: Dab chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Toss with flour, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper (I use about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
3. Melt portion of butter with oil: Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Sear chicken: Add chicken and let sear until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes, turn and let cook through about 2 – 3 minutes.
5. Set chicken aside: Transfer chicken and butter mixture to a bowl or large plate (continued below). Tent with foil to keep warm.

How To Prepare And Finish A Chicken Scampi Dish

1. Saute garlic: Place pan over medium-low heat. Melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add garlic and saute for about 20 seconds (don’t brown it!). (At this point, separately add pasta to boiling water to cook to al dente.)
2. Add wine, reduce: Pour in the wine and red pepper flakes to the butter garlic mixture and let simmer until reduced by about 3/4, about 5 minutes.
3. Melt in remaining butter: Add remaining 4 tbsp butter and let melt.
4. Add lemon, and chicken: Off heat stir in lemon. Return chicken to skillet and toss with sauce.
5. Toss with pasta, garnish: Toss drained pasta with chicken, sauce mixture, and parsley. Garnish servings with parmesan and serve warm.

What to Pair It With

• steamed or roasted broccoli or asparagus
• oven roasted vegetable medley
• roasted zucchini squash and tomatoes or go with just baked zucchini

Tips:

• Don’t skip drying chicken. This removes some of the excess moisture on the exterior so it browns better.
• Use a hot skillet to brown the chicken. Preheat it. More browning will equal far more flavor.
• Select a decent wine. Cheap wine will just ruin the flavor.
• Careful not to overcook the chicken or it will be dry. Keep it warm in foil (don’t cover it completely you don’t want to continue to steam and cook it).
• Keep wine away from flames (it’s flammable from alcohol).
• Allow enough time for the sauce to simmer. Otherwise, alcohol flavor will overwhelm the dish, so let the majority of it cook off.
• Cook pasta to al dente for the perfect texture.

Chicken Scampi

6 servings

Prep

two hours

Cook

15-20 minutes

Finished in 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds of chopped, 1-inch-long boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons
• Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt
• Unsalted butter, chopped into 1-Tbsp portions, 8 Tbsp
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 12 oz. of spaghetti, thin (or standard)
• 1 cup of Sauvignon Blanc or another dry white wine
• To taste, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
• a third cup of chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup of grated parmesan (or Romano cheese, for serving)

Instructions