Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan

Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan is one of my favorite chicken dishes that you can find in a restaurant. I love the tender chicken drenched in a lemon-basil wine sauce with a piece of tangy goat cheese on top. I love to order this dish with mashed potatoes because to miss any of this sauce is, well, something that is almost criminal.

Homemade Carrabbas Chicken Bryan on a platter.


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Carrabbas – Home of An Open Kitchen

What’s not to love about Carrabba’s Italian Grill? They are one of the few restaurants where you can enjoy an open kitchen experience.

You can order from Carrabba’s menu, see how your food is cooked, and you get to inhale the tempting aroma of your order while watching your meal being prepared. This makes Carrabba’s one of my favorite places to go for dinner.

How did Chicken Bryan get its name?


The dish Chicken Bryan originated from the Carrabba family, who named it in honor of the town of Bryan, Texas, where they settled after moving from Sicily to the United States in 1890. The Carrabba family opened their first restaurant in Texas in 1986. This establishment marked the beginning of what would become the well-known Carrabba’s restaurant chain.

Chicken Bryan has been a signature dish of Carrabba’s since its inception, and a related dish, Filet Bryan, is also highly regarded for its quality and flavor.

What Makes Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan So Good?

It’s not one single component or cooking method that makes this recipe great, but rather the combination of them all, creating a masterpiece.

The grilled chicken is an excellent base, and when you finish it with fresh basil, creamy cheese, and homemade sauce, it takes it to a new level. You’ll never want to use sauce out of a jar again after enjoying this intricate homemade wine sauce with lemon.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

You might wonder what makes the Chicken Bryan so tasty. The secret lies in the many layers of flavors. It features hints of fresh herbs, citrus, rich butter, and perfectly smoky chicken. Also, one of the most notable characteristics is goat cheese, which accentuates the whole dish.

Combined with fresh basil and sun-dried tomato slices, this chicken tastes unbelievably delicious. But don’t just take my word for it; you need to try this recipe to fully appreciate its complexity!

Moreover, there is room for experimentation. This lemon butter sauce will also go great over some pasta, or you can make Carrabba’s Filet Bryan (minus pounding on the beef) if you want to try that.

Make Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan at Home

You don’t have to go out to dinner to have something that tastes this incredible. You can make my Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe at home. Best of all, you can put this chicken recipe together in about 30 minutes.

While this recipe may take an extra step or two, I think you will find that it’s well worth it to make your dinner extra special.

While you have the chicken cooking, you may want to roast some vegetables in the oven, or perhaps some tasty mashed potatoes would go well with this dish. Make it when you want or for someone’s special birthday dinner.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe:

  • Chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Goat cheese
  • Butter
  • Dry white wine
  • Lemon juice
  • Chopped white onions
  • Chopped garlic
  • Basil leaves
  • Sun-dried tomatoes

For a non-alcoholic option, substitute the white wine with chicken broth.

Homemade Carrabbas Chicken Bryan ingredients.

How to Make Chicken Bryan

Here are the simple steps for making Carrabba’s Copycat Chicken Bryan:

  1. Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound it to make it thin. Pat dry.
  2. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Grill chicken for 3-4 mins on each side until cooked. Place it on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.
  4. Slice and shape goat cheese into four disks, which you can later place on each chicken piece.
  5. Saute onions and garlic in butter over medium heat until fragrant. Add wine and lemon juice. Reduce heat to simmer and reduce the liquid by half. Add three tablespoons of cold butter and whisk until melted.
  6. Turn off the burner, add the remaining butter, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Strain sauce to remove onions and garlic, return to pan, add half of the basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
  7. Place chicken breast on a plate, top with goat cheese and sauce, and sprinkle the remaining basil over it.
four servings of chicken bryan on a platter

What to Serve This Dish With

Just like at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, you can serve this terrific dish with sides like sauteed spinach, grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes, or parmesan truffle fries! The comforting chicken and sauce are a perfect match for a side of hearty veggies.

I also enjoy this with a simple side salad or Caesar salad when I want something lighter to accompany it.

How to Store Homemade Chicken Bryan

If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. Try to use them within 3-4 days.

What is The Best Way to Reheat Chicken with Bryan Topping?

I find that the oven works best when reheating this dish. To do so, place the leftovers into a baking dish.

Although you can stick it right in the oven, covering it with foil retains the moisture in the chicken, ensuring it is still juicy after reheating! Bake it in a 350°F oven until the chicken and all components are thoroughly heated.

Love Carrabbas? Check out these copycat recipes

More Italian Food Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my restaurant copycat recipes and easy homemade Italian food.

Homemade Carrabbas Chicken Bryan on a platter.

Carrabbas Chicken Bryan

You can make Carrabbas Chicken Bryan at home. 
4.66 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Carrabbas Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Keto, Low Carb
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 600kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts 4 portions
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablepoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces goat cheese
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped white onions
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons basil, sliced thin
  • 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions

Chicken Preparation

  • Prepare chicken by wrapping in plastic wrap and pounding out until thin. Remove chicken from plastic wrap and pat dry with a paper towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. 
  • Cook chicken on a grill until it is done – it should take 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When chicken is done, place chicken on a plate, and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Slice the goat cheese into four slices and shape the cheese into disks, one for each piece of chicken. 

Sauce Preparation

  • Sauté the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until they are fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add wine and lemon juice to pan and turn down the heat tp a simmer. Stir gently until it has reduced by half. When the wine has been reduced by half, add 3 tablespoons of cold butter and whisk until the butter has melted completely. 
  • Turn off the burner, add remaining butter and whisk in. The sauce should be getting thick now. Pour sauce through a strainer to strain out the onions and garlic. Then return the sauce to the warm pan and stir in half of the basil. Add sun-dried tomatoes. (

Assembly of the final dish

  • Place each chicken breast on to a plate. Place a piece of goat cheese on the chicken and then spoon sauce over the chicken. Top each chicken breast with the remaining basil.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 905mg | Potassium: 776mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1360IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2.1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adam

    At Carrabba’s we don’t strain out the onions and garlic. Also add salt and white pepper to the onion and wine mixture. Last tip that everyone missed in their copy cat recipe is heavy whipping cream. Once the onions, garlic, white wine and lemon juice have reduced to an oatmeal like consistency. You want to had heavy whipping cream. Stir that in and then add your cold butter slowly. Remember this sauce is very fragile as a leftover and will break in a heartbeat if you reheat to fast.

    • Stephanie Manley

      When making a butter wine sauce, the emulsion can break if heated too quickly. If the butter is overheated or the sauce is boiled, the fat molecules in the butter can separate from the liquid, causing the sauce to break.

      To prevent a butter wine sauce from breaking, it’s essential to heat the ingredients slowly and stir constantly. It’s also a good idea to remove the pan from the heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot. If the sauce does break, you can try to save it by whisking in a small amount of cold butter or cream, which can help to re-emulsify the sauce.

    • Adam

      4 stars
      Do not strain the onions and garlic out. Carrabba’s leaves them in. Add a few tablespoons of heavy whipping cream just like Carrabba’s does once the onion and wine mixture has reached an oatmeal like consistency. Then reduce heat to low and whisk in cold butter a few knobs at a time until it’s all melted in. Watch your heat.

  2. Megan

    DO you think Vermouth would work for the sauce? Also, did you use Sundried tomatoes in oil? Can’t wait to try this as it’s my favorite thing on the menu there.

  3. Susan

    5 stars
    This recipe is spot on! Tastes just like Carrabbas Chicken Bryan, which is by far my absolute favorite restaurant dish! My husband loved it, and my 22 year old son said “this is my new favorite thing to put on mashed potatoes” which is a HUGE compliment, lol.

    I made it exactly as written, but doubled the sauce, and it was perfect! Thanks so much for posting this!

  4. Britany

    5 stars
    Made this recipe for the first time last night and it is phenomenal! The chicken Bryan is my favorite dish at carrabba’s and due to covid we haven’t been in a while. I choose a dry chardonnay with vanilla notes that complemented the cheese perfectly…..the only difference I made in preparing the recipe(other than doubling the amount of sauce I prepared) is when cooking at home, I prefer oven baked proteins. So I prepared the sauce exactly the way the directions say up to the point where you add cold butter. I seasoned a couple beautiful chicken breast and once the sauce hit room temperature I poured it over the chicken and added the tomatoes, basil, and the cold butter and popped it in the oven at 250 for one hour……the flavor of the sauce baked right into the chicken and I’m telling you, it was exactly what I’ve been craving. I will for sure be making this again!

  5. Alyssa

    As someone who used to work at Carrabba’s, I am looking forward to trying this! I love food so much that I was even a taste tester for a few years. Thank you for this recipe, as I think it looks pretty dang close…the pounding chicken is the only thing they didn’t do when I worked there, but I will try it out. While working there, I loved ordering this, but I had them using these toppings with the style of chicken from Pollo Rosa Maria! Mmmmm…

  6. Cassie

    This is my go to for many years. I love this recipe and am making some tonight with fresh basil from my garden I grew just for this!! My only variation is white wine vinegar instead of wine because we don’t ever get wine.

  7. Kat

    If I made extra sauce, how long do you think it could be kept in the fridge? Do you think the sauce would reheat well?

  8. Scott Smith

    I made this tonight and it was spot on Carrabba’s. It was rather time consuming to prepare the reduction while putting together a full meal but definitely worth the extra effort. Thank you very much for the recipe.

  9. Jamie Becker

    5 stars
    Wow that was delish!!! I added about a tablespoon of cream because why not!!! Very easy to make and I will be making again very soon!!!

  10. Ella Nihan

    I made this last night for hubbie and guest and we all loved it. I can usually look at a recipe and tell if it’s going to be good and it was great. We freq. Carrabbas and they said it was better then Carrabbas!

  11. Beverly Johnson

    I had this at Carrabbas just last week.LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!! Can’t wait to try this at home. But I’m wondering how I can marinate the chicken before cooking it. I think the flavor of Carrabbas comes from a combination of marinating and grilling. Any suggestions?

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