This chicken scampi recipe is golden brown chicken tenderloins with peppers and onions over creamy pasta. It’s a restaurant favorite that tastes even better when you make it at home!
Pasta is always a favorite in my house, and when you add crispy chicken and creamy sauce to the mix, it’s sure to be a hit! I serve chicken scampi with a side of garlic knots and roasted broccoli for a complete meal.
I know that everyone’s heard of shrimp scampi, but have you ever heard of chicken scampi? It’s a dish at Olive Garden that’s super delicious. I made my own version of this recipe at home, and I feel like it’s a good representation of the original! It’s chicken, veggies and creamy pasta – how could you go wrong with that?
How do you make chicken scampi?
Learning how to make chicken scampi is actually quite simple. Chicken tenderloins are coated in flour, then seared to golden brown perfection. The chicken is combined with three colors of bell peppers, red onion and garlic, then served over creamy angel hair pasta. Comfort food at its finest!
Chicken tenderloins are often just labeled as chicken tenders; my store sells them next to the boneless skinless chicken breasts. I like to use different colors of bell peppers here beecause that’s what they do at the restaurant, but you can definitely use just one variety if you prefer.
My whole family loved this chicken scampi – my kids had actually never had angel hair pasta before and thought it was fun to try it out. I typically minimize my time in the kitchen by following this process when making the dish: boil the water, cook the peppers and onions while the water is boiling, then cook the chicken, put the pasta in the boiling water and make the sauce while the pasta cooks. Toss it all together and done! You definitely don’t need to be an Olive Garden fan to enjoy this dish, it’s a classic that will sure to be on repeat in your house like it is in mine.
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More great chicken recipes
- Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Bruschetta Chicken
Chicken Scampi
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers I use red, yellow and green
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenderloins also called chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 ounces dry angel hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan; place on a plate and cover to keep warm. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
- Place the flour on a plate and season to taste with salt and pepper. Coat the both sides of the chicken tenders in the flour; shake to remove excess flour.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken tenders and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to the plate with the vegetables.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is boiling, make the sauce.
- Wipe out the pan, and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Add the white wine and whisk to combine.
- Bring the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and cream and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.
- Stir the parmesan cheese into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta and return to pot.
- Place the sauce and pepper mixture into the pot with the pasta; toss to coat evenly. Arrange the chicken on top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Alison says
This is the perfect family friendly meal that everyone enjoyed! The kids love a good creamy pasta and my husband loves the chicken. Great flavors too with the mix of fresh veggies and spices.
Jas @ All that's Jas says
This one is a keeper! I can never say no to a great pasta and chicken dish.
kim says
This is a must make! So easy with the best flavor! I’ll definitely be making again!
Adrianne says
Wow! This is my kindof dinner recipe!! I actually haven’t heard of it, but you explain it well and it makes for seriously delicious food. Your photos are amazing and this makes me want to try it like right now! Angel hair pasta sounds like the perfect style to go with the chicken. Thanks for sharing!
Corina Blum says
I know this chicken would be a huge hit in our house. I love the idea of using chicken tenders instead of shrimps for the scampi.
Alexandra says
I make this for my family all the time – it is always a hit. Great flavours – simple and delicious!
Carol says
Can you make a lower calorie version?
Sara says
You could reduce the amount of olive oil in half and use low fat milk instead of cream!
Tina says
My favorite Recipe.. My favorite thing at Olive Garden is their Chicken Scampi but I rarely get to go there. So I love making this at home..I love veggies, so I love to add extra peppers (like some orange bell peppers too & who doesn’t like some extra red onions? As well as extra diced fresh garlic?) but that’s just me.. I love lots of veggies & lots of garlic!! I also have used the Italian season bread crumbs on the chicken instead of flour which has worked Well & I’m not a huge angel hair pasta fan cause it can be tricky to not over cook, so I’ll use spaghetti noodles & it gives it just a extra bite..
Beatrice says
What a great idea for chicken. I’m always on the lookout for a little something new!
Debbie says
My family would love this dish! We love all pasta and chicken dishes!
Sharon says
This looks delicious, I am going to try this as well! But isn’t scampi shrimp? I don’t see that there is any shrimp in this dish?
Sara says
Scampi is the name of the sauce that’s used, it’s primarily done with shrimp but other proteins work too like chicken or fish!