Olive Garden Chicken Scampi with Fresh Peppers is a delightful dish served in a savory white wine sauce with breaded chicken. It’s topped with a wonderful variety of fresh peppers and onions. This Chicken Scampi is one of the restaurant’s most requested menu items and now you can make this popular dish at home.
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What Makes the Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Pasta So Good?
Chicken scampi is similar to shrimp scampi, except it’s more kid-friendly and economical. You can use chicken tenders, which are typically less expensive and sure to please the entire family.
The recipe uses many of the same flavor components as original shrimp scampi, which means that you can enjoy sauteed veggies and delicious sauce with your juicy chicken.
It’s the perfect way to upgrade plain-old chicken tenders or breasts into an exquisite, memorable meal! Make your weeknight more exciting when you give this recipe a try.
Why This Recipe Works
The Olive Garden has so many wonderful recipes that can be made at home. This Chicken Scampi works because it’s filled with wonderfully fresh ingredients and topped with a creamy white wine sauce. It can be made as a pasta dish or add shrimp instead of chicken.
There are many ways to serve this dish. So many families have fond memories of the Olive Garden restaurant. Making a dish like this helps recreate those favorite memories that you have when you go out to eat.
Chicken Scampi Ingredients
This copycat Olive Garden chicken scampi recipe uses fresh ingredients bringing together the wonderful flavors of peppers and red onions. Here’s what you will need:
- Chicken Tenders or Chicken Breasts
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Salt & Pepper
- Red, Green & Orange Bell Peppers
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Pasta – Spaghetti or Fettuccini
- White Wine
- Heavy Cream
- Italian Seasonings
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
- Bread the chicken first. Dredge chicken tenders in flour, milk, and salt & pepper. Let rest while you are preparing the pasta and vegetables.
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
- While the pasta is boiling, saute the peppers, onions, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Remove the veggies from the skillet and add the chicken.
- Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and done. Once the chicken is ready, remove the tenders from the skillet.
- Prepare the wine sauce in the same skillet used for the peppers and chicken.
- Add the pasta and veggies back into the sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve the pasta with chicken tenders on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley over the dish if desired.
Scroll down to the recipe card to see my video on creating this dish!
Recipe Tips
- If you do not drink wine, you may substitute it with low-sodium chicken broth.
- When choosing wine for this recipe, I would choose an inexpensive Chardonnay or another dry white wine. Pick something drinkable.
- Another substitute idea would be to use dry sherry when a recipe calls for white wine. You don’t have to worry about sherry going bad, in a couple of days. This stays good for a couple of months.
- You can make this a meatless dish by leaving out the chicken and replacing it with some mushrooms instead. Either way, this is going to be delicious.
Perfect Sides for Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
The classic way to serve Chicken Scampi is over pasta. Angel hair pasta or another thin pasta is ideal.
Of course, there is no rule saying that you can’t enjoy this dish on its own. If you are going this route, either garlic bread or homemade Olive Garden breadsticks is the perfect way to sop up all that delicious sauce!
No matter how you choose to serve your Chicken Scampi, consider adding Caprese Bruschetta or Marinated Mozzarella Salad as a starter or side.
Storing Chicken Scampi
You can keep the Olive Garden Scampi sauce leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about five days. Reheat gently over low heat. Add a splash of wine or milk if the sauce is too thick.
The cream, lemon juice, and wine in the recipe make it difficult to freeze the Chicken Scampi without losing quality.
How To Reheat Homemade Chicken Scampi
My suggestion is to reheat this dish on the stovetop. Ideally, reheat gently over low to medium heat. Add a splash of wine or milk if the sauce is too thick.
Cover the pan to prevent moisture loss! Flip the chicken occasionally and remove it from the heat once the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
If you made pasta and stored it separately, you can reheat it in the microwave. Otherwise, it might turn soggy if you reheat it with the chicken and sauce.
Chicken Scampi Olive Garden Recipe FAQs
What Does Scampi-Style Mean?
Scampi style has come to mean any dish that combines butter, garlic, and an acidic ingredient such as wine or citrus juice. You can find a wide range of scampi-style dishes, including shrimp, scallops, squid, beef, and chicken.
What Is Scampi Sauce Made Of?
First, in Italian, scampi is plural for scampo, a type of shellfish commonly called a Dublin Bay Prawn or Norway Lobster in English.
A traditional scampi sauce in Italy is straightforward. It is made by sauteing prawns in a butter and garlic sauce with maybe a squeeze of lemon or a splash of white wine to help balance the richness and provide a bit of brightness. Many cooks add their own twist to scampi recipes such as cream, vegetables, and herbs.
What Kind of Wine Do I Use for Scampi?
You don’t need to spend a fortune on wine to cook scampi, but you should avoid cheap cooking wines.
Use a dry, crisp white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay. A very dry Riesling or a Pinot Grigio is also an option. A good rule of thumb to help when choosing wines for cooking is to use whichever type you will serve alongside the dish.
How Do You Thicken Scampi Sauce?
Scampi sauce is not supposed to be overly thick, but if you feel yours is on the runny side, you can use a couple of methods to correct the problem.
The best way to thicken the sauce is by turning down the heat and simmering the cream for a few minutes longer before returning the chicken to the pan.
For a faster option, dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in an equal amount of water to make a slurry. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer until thickened.
How Many Calories Are in Olive Garden’s Chicken Scampi?
According to Olive Garden’s nutritional menu, an order of Chicken Scampi has 1260 calories, with over half coming from fat. The copycat Olive Garden Chicken Scampi recipe contains slightly fewer calories.
Do you like the Olive Garden restaurant? Try these Olive Garden copycat recipes
- Olive Garden Fettuccine Recipe
- Italian Mozzarella Sticks
- Crispy Ravioli
- Oven Baked Pasta Olive Garden
- Olive Garden Dishes
Delicious Italian Recipes for You to Make
- Pizza Hut Pastas – Cavatini
- Make Italian Sausage
- Red Lobster Seafood Pasta
- Risotto Recipe – Instant Pot
- Italian Rice Balls with Meat
- Eggs Pasta
- Chicken Limone
- Carrabba’s Dipping Sauce
Be sure to check out more of my Olive Garden copycat recipes and the best homemade Italian food.
Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below and make sure you share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + extra divided use
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 orange bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound pasta prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Set up a breading station: Place the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper into a shallow dish and mix well with a fork. Place the milk into another shallow dish. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, dip it into the milk, and then dredge again in the flour. Place the breaded chicken on the wire rack to rest for 10 minutes before cooking.
- While the chicken is resting, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic and season with a light sprinkling of salt. Sauté until the peppers begin to brown. Remove the vegetables from skillet.
- Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the hot skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side until the chicken has browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
- Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, using a spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Italian seasoning and the heavy cream and mix well.
- Return the vegetables to the skillet along with the cooked pasta and stir. Plate the pasta and sauce, placing a few pieces of cooked chicken on each plate.
Video
Notes
- If you do not drink wine, you may substitute it with low sodium chicken broth.
- When choosing wine for this recipe, I would choose an inexpensive Chardonnay or another dry white wine. Pick something that is drinkable.
- Another substitute idea would be to use dry sherry when a recipe calls for white wine. You don’t have to worry about sherry going bad, in a couple of days. This stays good for a couple of months.
- You can make this a meatless dish by leaving out the chicken and replacing it with some mushrooms instead. Either way, this is going to be delicious.
Angela Burke
This looks easy but does it taste as good as the Olive Garden s
Stephanie Manley
Some people think it is better.
Jeremiah Stecklein
I think that they differ from restaurant to restaurant. From my cooking experience, I would probably go with panko or may some bread crumbs. I would also season the flour mixture or whatever you use. I would season with (salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, italian seasoning, and some herb de provence). This adds a touch of lavender to the wine sauce and make a world of difference. I know people want to mimic Olive Garden, but try something different. Oh, by the way, Italian food tastes nothing like Olive Garden. For the most part, it is very simple with a little bit of spice.
Stephanie Manley
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate the comments you have. I think you have many great suggestions. It is my goal is to duplicate the taste the best that I can.
Stephanie Manley
I appreciate your suggestions, it is my goal to mimic and leave it up to you to enhance to the way you desire.
Peggy Carpenter
Where is the scampi? Or am I missing something. 🙁 I hope that isn’t a silly question:)
Stephanie Manley
This is the recreation of their dish, I don’t name their dishes.
Val
Just tried the chicken scampi and it’s pretty close!!! My sister always comes down from Canada and our treat is Olive Garden and always Chicken Scampi!! Thank you I may just try this again when she comes 🙂
Brittany Martin-Bryant
I went out for a lunch date with my friends a couple weeks ago and I tried the chicken scampi at Olive Garden. When I came across this recipe I just had to recreate it for my boyfriend. He LOVED IT!! I always add a few of my own touches to any recipe I find but thank you for your guidance because it was actually better than the scampi at Olive Garden!!
erica arreaga
what type of Italian seasoning
do you use?
Rak
I tried this recipe today, but was not flavorful. 🙁
sobie
great recipe, what if i want to omit the white wine? can i use chicken broth or water instead?
MewRainbowKitty
Your dish looks so delicious! Sadly I can’t really cook yet since I’m still pretty young… But I will surely make sure my parents make this. Thanks! 🙂
KerriB
Just made this tonight. Fabulous!
I had started and then realized I didn’t have milk (4yr old had finished it off and didn’t tell me), so I sauteed the peppers, onions, and garlic, and the chicken didn’t get much rest time.
I used the Barefoot Chardonnay and actually cooked the sauce and pasta down before I served it. I also used a hint more of the Italian seasoning than suggested.
This I will do again!! Thank you!
cjmergie
Whenever I add heavy cream to a hot mixture I heat the heavy cream first
kimkico
It was awesome…. So tonight I’m trying it with shrimp.
Diane
I am so glad I found you! My family loves the Olive Garden Chicken Scampi and it is the only one I really care for, and I am assuming it’s because there is no lemon juice added. Every recipe I have looked up for Scampi includes lemon juice, so I can’t wait to try this tonight. Thank you
brenda
thanks for showing us.. I didn’t know to let the chicken set after putting it in the flour..nor did I know that when the chicken is ready it won’t stick to the pan..thanks.. going to try it tonight.. loved watching you make it.
sarah
My husband and I made this for dinner tonight and were both extremely disappointed. Both the sauce and the chicken were very very bland. It was missing the creamy butter and garlic flavor. Tried to fix it up a bit to no avail.
Stephanie Manley
I am very sorry you were disappointed in this recipe. Most people have had good results. What do you think I could have done differently to make it taste more like the Olive Garden?
LisaF
I’m making this for the 2nd time tonight. It’s my favorite dish at Olive Garden. Your recipe is amazing! ! My whole family goes crazy for it.
Stephanie Manley
I am so happy your family loves the recipe. I know I always feel great when folks really like my cooking.
Nick
I would suggest seasoning the chicken with italian seasoning and crushed red pepper and maybe add more garlic to the sauce..I used 3 cloves and it came out perfect…other than that it was excellent!!
Kimmy Baker-Phillips
I make this Alot…but you do need Butter an Lemon Juice in the sauce with white wine…I do a NICE Sipping wine…Moscoto…. Garlic too….
Yum
Jaclyn
Made the recipe last night and it was delicious! Thanks Stephanie!
Bunny
I’m going to try this tonight. I thought just from looking at the video that the seasonings would have to be increased. I usually salt and pepper the chicken b/4 breading and I think I would add some parsley and parmesan to garnish. I also thought perhaps the person who thought it was bland may have not salted the pasta water like the sea b/4 cooking. Will let you know how I do with this. Thanks.