This chicken scampi recipe is light, bright, delicious, and quick to whip up. Made with a lemon-y garlic sauce and the most delightful crispy pan-fried chicken, this recipe is one that the entire family will love!
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This recipe is…
This chicken scampi recipe is our spin on the popular Olive Garden dish! If you’re looking for an at-home version that’s really easy (but still feels very elevated), this is it. The ingredients are simple, the method is quick and do-able, and the flavors are out out of this world delicious.
Picture this: chicken cutlets breaded in parmesan cheese (among a couple of other things), then pan-fried in butter, served atop noodles and the most delicious lemon garlic sauce …YUM!
If you’re looking for more chicken pasta recipes, we’ve got you. This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is loaded with bell peppers, spinach, and the creamiest spicy Cajun sauce, this Pesto Chicken Pasta bake is made in one dish and requires zero noodle boiling, and this creamy chicken piccata recipe is simple and delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s elevated and delicious – this recipe is restaurant-worthy for sure. It’s easy to make, but BIG on flavor.
- It’s family-friendly – the entire family is going to love this recipe, y’all. The lemon garlic sauce, pan-fried chicken, noodles – it’s all just so good!
Chicken Scampi Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients in this dish are really simple. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Chicken cutlets – you’ll need chicken cutlets (thin-sliced chicken breasts) for this recipe. They get extra crispy and delicious!
- Flour – we used gluten-free flour here, but you can use any all-purpose flour will work great.
- White wine – this recipe calls for white wine. Don’t worry – the alcohol in the wine cooks off, so it’s still a family-friendly dish, but if you don’t want to buy an entire bottle for this recipe, feel free to use the same amount of chicken broth instead.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it gluten-free – use gluten-free flour and gluten-free noodles (we use Barilla’s gluten-free pasta most of the time) to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Use a different cut of chicken – chicken cutlets are definitely the MVP here, but you can absolutely grab chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise to thin them out, or use chicken tenderloins instead.
How to Make Chicken Scampi
This recipe is really easy to make – you’ll start by coating the chicken in a parmesan flour mixture, pan-frying it in butter (okay, yum!), making the most delicious lemon garlic sauce, and then putting it all together on top of a bed of pasta. Follow along below for the full how-to!
Step 1: Beat the eggs in a small bowl, and, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir the dry batter mixture together well. Working in batches, dip a chicken cutlet in the egg, then pull it out, letting any excess egg drip off. Then place it in the dry batter mixture and coat completely on both sides.
Step 2: Add the butter to a skillet over medium/high heat, and once hot, add the breaded chicken cutlets to the pan (feel free to cook more than one at a time, but be sure to not overcrowd the pan), cook on one side for 4 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 4 minutes, until both sides are nice and golden. While cooking the chicken, get started on cooking your pasta according to the package instructions. Once it’s done, set it aside (if it’s gluten-free pasta, be sure to toss it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil so that it doesn’t stick together.)
Step 3: Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice the chicken into strips.
Step 4: While the chicken is resting, turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil to the skillet. Once hot, add the sliced garlic to the skillet and saute until brown, 2-3 minutes. Then, add the white wine to the skillet and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently, for 5-10 minutes (10 minutes if you want the alcohol to be completely cooked off, and closer to 5 minutes if you’re okay with some alcohol still being in the sauce). Turn off heat, add the chopped parsley and lemon juice, and then stir together.
Step 5: To serve family-style, place the noodles on a platter, top with the chicken, and then pour the sauce over top. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
If you are nervous about the doneness of your chicken, checking it with a meat thermometer is a GREAT idea. Go ahead and cook it for 4 minutes on one side, flip it when the breading is nice and golden brown, and then cook it for 4 minutes on the other side. Once the time is up, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken and if it reads at least 165°F, it’s ready to go! If it’s below that, let the chicken continue to cook until it comes to temperature.
How to Serve
Serve your chicken scampi family-style with the noodles on the bottom, the sliced chicken on top, and the sauce poured over all of it. This recipe is delicious all on its own, but if you want to add a veggie, sautéed green beans or a simple arugula salad would be delicious.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat your leftover chicken scampi, simply pop it in the microwave (noodles and chicken) for 1-2 minutes, or heat just the chicken in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scampi sauce (whether it’s chicken scampi or shrimp scampi) includes lots and lots of garlic, parsley, and lemon juice. It’s bright, herb-y, and delicious!
The word “scampi” actually refers to large shrimp, and shrimp scampi is actually way more common than chicken scampi. This chicken scampi is just a spin on the traditional shrimp scampi dish, made with breaded, pan-seared chicken instead of shrimp.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Chicken Scampi or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Chicken Scampi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1¼ pounds chicken cutlets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 12-16 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup white wine, or chicken broth
- ¼ cup packed chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- Lemon wedges, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl, and, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir the dry batter mixture together well.
- Working in batches, dip a chicken cutlet in the egg, then pull it out, letting any excess egg drip off. Then place it in the dry batter mixture and coat completely on both sides.
- Add the butter to a skillet over medium/high heat, and once hot, add the breaded chicken cutlets to the pan (feel free to cook more than one at a time, but be sure to not overcrowd the pan), cook on one side for 4 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 4 minutes, until both sides are nice and golden brown.
- While the chicken is cooking, get started on cooking your pasta according to the package instructions. Once it's done, set it aside (if it's gluten-free pasta, be sure to toss it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil so that it doesn't stick together.)
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice the chicken into strips.
- While the chicken is resting, turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil to the skillet. Once hot, add the sliced garlic to the skillet and saute until brown, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the white wine to the skillet and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently, for 5-10 minutes (10 minutes if you want the alcohol to be completely cooked off, and closer to 5 minutes if you're okay with some alcohol still being in the sauce). Turn off the heat, add the chopped parsley and lemon juice, and then stir together.
- To serve family-style, place the noodles on a platter, top with the chicken, and then pour the sauce over top. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
We love this recipe! Simple enough for a weeknight meal and so tasty!
My family loved this recipe! I have two kiddos and a hungry husband and we all enjoyed it and fought over the leftovers. Surprisingly quick too for something that required breading the chicken and a from scratch sauce.
Yay!! We are so happy y’all loved it, Lisa!!
*sorry star rating didn’t go through*
Wow! I was worried this would be bland and I was so wrong. I doubled the recipe to make sure we had enough sauce and it was such a bright and fresh dinner. GF cappellini was chef kiss! Looking forward to the leftovers!
We love this one! It was quick and easy to make, and my three kids (all under four) were fans! The chicken was super tender and had great flavor- but not too much where it scared the kids away.
Best feeling when the kiddos love it, too! Thank you for commenting, Kate!
Wow! I was worried this would be bland and I was so wrong. I doubled the recipe to make sure we had enough sauce and it was such a bright and fresh dinner. GF cappellini was (chef kiss). Looking forward to the leftovers!
WOOHOO! We are so happy you enjoyed it!!
This quick and easy chicken scampi was so delicious and lemony! I love the addition of parmesan in the coating!
Awe yay! We are so happy you loved it, Laurie!
Made this tonight…and my 5 year old son gives it a thumbs up! It was fun to make with him. Thanks for the yummy recipe…used broth in lieu of the wine and still turned out delicious.
That is so so sweet, Rosanne! That thumbs up means so much to us! We are so happy y’all enjoyed!
I was happily surprised at how juicy the chicken came out! I usually prefer to use dark meat to white, but this white meat came out so juicy and yummy! I loved the coating on the chicken.
Right!? So juicy! We are so happy you loved it, Jessica!
This was SO easy and delicious. Will be making again
Awe yay, Lauren! We are so glad you enjoyed it!
So good! I couldn’t believe that this much flavor would come out of such simple ingredients. One of my teens went back for a third helping! This is a great weeknight dinner when you need something simple. Will definitely make again!
Awe yay! We are so happy it was a hit with the fam, April!
This came out amazing- way better than Olive Garden! I will definitely be making this again.
WHAT?!?! That is so kind, Leslie! We are so happy you loved it!
I made this tonight, it’s a cold day in NY so something warm and comforting sounded delicious! The flavors were bright, warm and came together perfectly! Everyone in my house loved this. I did use angel hair in lieu of regular spectator because we prefer that and it did work well. we Will make again!
Awe yay! We are so happy y’all loved it, Jessica!
This was so good. Your recipes never disappoint. I paired it with the arugula salad with lemon juice and olive oil.
That is so kind, Angie! We are so happy you enjoyed it!