Next time you want a restaurant-style chicken dinner, make this extraordinary copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe. It features tender chicken drenched in a lemon-basil wine sauce and topped with tangy goat cheese, making for an irresistible meal.
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Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan Recipe
Carrabba’s Italian Grill has an open kitchen concept, which is what makes the restaurant special. You can see how your food is cooked, and inhale the tempting aroma of your order while watching your meal being prepared.
However, sometimes, you might just want to stay in and relax. The good news? You don’t need to visit Carrabba’s to enjoy your favorite dish. With the help of this recipe, you can recreate Carrabba’s well-known Chicken Bryan menu option with a luxurious taste and presentation.
Best of all, you can put this chicken recipe together in about 30 minutes. While this recipe may require an extra step or two, I think it’s well worth it to make your dinner extra special.
While the chicken is 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.
What makes Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan so good?
It’s not one single component or cooking method that makes this Carrabba’s Italian Grill Chicken Bryan so great. 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.
The grilled chicken is an excellent base, and when you finish it with the other components 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
This chicken tastes unbelievably delicious and it pairs with so many different side dishes. But don’t just take my word for it; you need to try this recipe yourself to fully appreciate it!
This is the perfect recipe to surprise your family with, especially if they love Carrabba’s. Based on the looks and taste of this dish, they would never guess just how easily and quickly it was made. It is also ideal for meal prep; you can make it to use for lunches throughout the week.
There is also 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.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe:
- Chicken breasts
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Goat cheese
- Butter
- Dry white wine
- Lemon juice
- Chopped white onions
- Chopped garlic
- Fresh basil leaves
- Sun-dried tomatoes
For a non-alcoholic option, substitute the white wine with chicken broth.
How to make Chicken Bryan
Here are the simple steps for making Carrabba’s Copycat Chicken Bryan recipe:
- Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound it to make it thin. Pat dry.
- Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill chicken for 3-4 mins on each side until cooked. Place it on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Slice and shape goat cheese into disks, which you can later place on each chicken piece.
- 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.
- 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.
- Place chicken breast on a plate, top with goat cheese and sauce, and sprinkle the remaining basil over it.
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! 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?
Reheating this dish in the oven works best. To do so, place the leftovers in a baking dish.
Cover the chicken with foil to retain moisture, ensuring it is still juicy after reheating. Bake it in a 350°F oven until everything is thoroughly heated.
Love Carrabbas? Check out these copycat recipes!
- Carrabbas Soups – Sausage Lentil
- Mussels Bianca
- Carrabba’s Dipping Sauce
More Italian food recipes
- Homemade Italian Sausage Recipe
- Canning Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Crab Fettuccine Alfredo
- Shrimp Pasta with White Wine Sauce
- Red Lobster’s Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Chicken Romano Pasta Recipe
- Pasta with Artichoke Hears and Capers
- How to Make Alfredo Sauce Creamy
- Uno’s Pizza
Be sure to check out more of my restaurant copycat recipes and easy homemade Italian food.
Carrabbas Chicken Bryan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (4 portions)
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 8 tablespoons butter divided use
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons basil thinly sliced
- 8 ounces goat cheese sliced into 4 disks
Instructions
- Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and pound until thin. Remove the chicken from the plastic wrap and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.
- Grill the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
- Sauté the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and lemon juice and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir gently until reduced by half. Add 3 tablespoons of cold butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
- Pour the sauce through a strainer to remove the onions and garlic. Return the sauce to the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and half of the basil and stir.
- Place each chicken breast on a plate. Place a piece of goat cheese on the chicken and then spoon the sauce over the chicken. Top each chicken breast with the remaining basil.
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.
Judy J
I made the sauce ahead of time and it was not good and separated. The tomatoes got leathery.
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.
Hef
I followed recipe, sauce never thickened after adding the butter. I hated throwing away the garlics and onions
Stephanie Manley
You most likely needed to turn up the heat a bit more to help the sauce thicken.
Adam
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.
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.
Stephanie Manley
Vermouth would work well in a pinch.
SA Mattthews
Can you substitute anything else for goat cheese? I never have goat cheese on hand!
Stephanie Manley
I think you could swap it for cream cheese.
Real American
Don’t be obtuse. This is a dish at Carrabba’s, if you don’t like it don’t make it!
SR
No need to be a d*ck. It was a simple question. Grow up.
Susan
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!
Britany
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!
Stephanie
I am so glad this recipe hit the spot! Loved your take on the recipe.
Shaun
So you didn’t pre bake the chicken or did you? I’m thinking I should bake the chicken also.
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…
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.
Stephanie
Vinegar works because it’s replacing the acid that is in the wine.
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?
Stephanie
This sauce may not reheat well, it make break, I would just make the sauce portion of the recipe when you wanted some.
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.
Stephanie
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Jamie Becker
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!!!
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!
Stephanie
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
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?
Kevin Aponte
Im trying this tonight. wish me luck! 😛
Fc
What is a good wine to use
stephaniemanley
I would use an inexpensive Chardonnay.