Description
Delightful olive garden-inspired chicken scampi brings classic Italian-American flavors to home kitchens. Succulent chicken, garlic-infused sauce, and perfectly cooked pasta combine for a restaurant-quality meal you can easily recreate.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 chicken tenderloins (1.75 lbs or 794 g)
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 0.25 lb (113 g) unsalted butter (one stick)
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 0.5 cup yellow onion, diced
- 0.5 cup flour
- 2 tbsps garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 12 oz (340 g) angel hair pasta
- 0.5 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 0.5 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
- 0.5 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 0.5 medium red onion, sliced
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
- 0.125 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Bring salted water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Cook pasta until al dente, reserving one cup of starchy liquid before draining.
- Chicken Transformation: Coat chicken tenderloins in seasoned flour and sear in a skillet with vegetable oil until golden brown and fully cooked, approximately 5-7 minutes per side. Set aside on a separate plate.
- Sauce Crafting: In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions with garlic until translucent. Deglaze with white wine, then add chicken stock, lemon juice, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes. Simmer to develop intense flavors, whisking in additional butter to create a silky, emulsified sauce.
- Vegetable Medley: In the original pasta pot, sauté bell peppers and onions until slightly caramelized. Reintroduce cooked pasta and pour the scampi sauce, tossing thoroughly to ensure complete coating.
- Final Touches: Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, using reserved pasta water to perfect sauce consistency. Plate the pasta, topping with golden chicken tenderloins and optional freshly grated Parmesan cheese for an extra layer of decadence.
Notes
- Pasta Water Magic: Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water to help thicken and emulsify sauce, creating a smooth, silky texture that perfectly coats noodles.
- Flour Coating Trick: Dust chicken lightly with seasoned flour for a crispy, golden exterior that seals in moisture and adds delightful texture.
- Wine Reduction Technique: Allow white wine to reduce and concentrate flavors, creating a deeper, more complex sauce base that elevates the entire dish.
- Sauce Balancing Pro: Use reserved pasta water to adjust sauce consistency, ensuring a glossy, perfect coating that clings beautifully to pasta strands.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 540 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg