The Closest You'll Get To Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi Without...

The Closest You'll Get To Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi Without Leaving Home

pasta with bell peppers, cheese, and chicken in a black pot

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Olive Garden, everyone's favorite place to eat unlimited soup and salad and dive into never-ending pasta bowls, has been a fixture among Italian chain restaurants since the 1980s. By its second decade, it had added chicken scampi to the menu, and a quarter century later, this dish remains one of its enduringly popular and classic entrees. It's also something you can make at home without too much difficulty, with the DIY version being fresher, cheaper, and more customizable. (Plus, there's no need to figure out a tip when you'll be serving yourself.)

According to developer Julianne De Witt, "This homemade version of Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi brings all the bold flavors of the restaurant favorite — tender sauteed chicken, colorful bell peppers, and a rich, buttery garlic-wine sauce tossed with pasta. It's comforting, satisfying, and easy to make." As the dish combines both pasta and meat, it's pretty much a one-pot meal, but a salad on the side (and maybe a few breadsticks) would make for a more Olive Garden-like experience.

Collect the ingredients for this Olive Garden chicken scampi copycat

noodles, chicken, cheese, cream, wine, butter, and seasonings

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

This dish is made from boneless, skinless chicken, bell peppers (both red and orange are pictured here), garlic, white wine, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. You'll also need salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and parsley for flavoring, butter and olive oil for cooking, and angel hair pasta to soak up all the sauce.

Step 1: Boil some water

hand holding a tub of salt over a pot of water

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Fill a large pot with water and let it boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the kosher salt.

Step 2: Cook the noodles

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the angel hair pasta and cook for 3 minutes or until al dente.

Step 3: Drain the noodles

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and set it aside.

Step 4: Melt the butter in the oil

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.

Step 5: Put the chicken in the pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the chicken to the pan.

Step 6: Fry the chicken on one side

salt or pepper grinder hovering over pan of chicken

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Cook the chicken on one side until lightly browned, for about 2 minutes.

Step 7: Salt and pepper the chicken

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 8: Fry the chicken on the other side

hand using tongs to push chicken around a pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small bowl and set aside.

Step 9: Fry the garlic and peppers

chopped bell peppers and garlic in a black pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Set the peppers aside.

Step 10: Pour the wine into the pan

hand holding yellowish liquid above a black pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Deglaze the skillet with white wine.

Step 11: Mix in the cream, cheese, and seasonings

various sauce ingredients in a black pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the cream, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk.

Step 12: Cook the sauce

hand holding whisk over beige sauce in a black pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Let the sauce reduce for 2 minutes.

Step 13: Stir in the parsley

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the parsley to the sauce and whisk.

Step 14: Combine all of the ingredients

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the pasta, chicken, and peppers back to the skillet. Toss to combine.

Step 15: Garnish with parsley and Parmesan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Serve with additional Parmesan and parsley if desired.

What can I serve with copycat Olive Garden Chicken Scampi?

Our copycat Olive Garden's chicken scampi, with tender sauteed chicken and pasta in a buttery garlic-wine sauce, is comforting, satisfying, and easy.

pasta with bell peppers, cheese, and chicken in a white bowl

1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 ounces angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 boneless skinless chicken strips, sliced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Grated Parmesan and minced parsley, for serving

Fill a large pot with water and let it boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the kosher salt.
Add the angel hair pasta and cook for 3 minutes or until al dente.
Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and set it aside.
In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken to the pan.
Cook the chicken on one side until lightly browned, for about 2 minutes.
Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper.
Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small bowl and set aside.
Add the peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Set the peppers aside.
Deglaze the skillet with white wine.
Add the cream, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk.
Let the sauce reduce for 2 minutes.
Add the parsley to the sauce and whisk.
Add the pasta, chicken, and peppers back to the skillet. Toss to combine.
Serve with additional Parmesan and parsley if desired.

Calories per Serving	707
Total Fat	41.1 g
Saturated Fat	20.9 g
Trans Fat	0.6 g
Cholesterol	98.2 mg

Total Carbohydrates	53.6 g
Dietary Fiber	3.7 g
Total Sugars	5.8 g
Sodium	608.1 mg
Protein	25.8 g

The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

What does scampi mean?

pasta with bell peppers, cheese, and chicken in a white bowl

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

The original scampi recipe, which may date back to the Italian Renaissance, was possibly made with crayfish, although the Italian words "scampi" or "scampo" can also translate to mean prawns, shrimp, or langoustines. The first reference in English to the somewhat redundant-sounding dish known as shrimp scampi is credited to an 18th-century British cookbook author called Hannah Glasse. Her recipe consisted of shrimp fried in butter and served with lemon, but modern shrimp scampi, which became popular in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century, frequently includes garlic and white wine and may be served over pasta.

The term chicken scampi is technically an oxymoron, in a similar fashion to chicken fajitas. (The word "fajita" was originally applied only to skirt steak.) However, "scampi" now seems to have morphed into a shortcut name for anything cooked in a scampi style. The Olive Garden's version, while it includes most of the classic elements, omits lemon juice and adds both heavy cream and bell peppers.

How can I change this dish?

Since scampi seems to have been a pretty flexible recipe throughout its long history, there's no reason you can't make a few tweaks of your own. One way would be to lighten up the sauce by omitting the cream, and of course, you can pass on the bell peppers, too. If you want to keep some sort of vegetable component, you could always add mushrooms, spinach, or onions — the Olive Garden's version actually includes red onions along with bell peppers, while its shrimp scampi is made with tomatoes and asparagus. Another option is to make a spicy version of the sauce by exchanging mild bell peppers for green chiles.

The chicken, too, can be swapped out for shrimp, or you could opt for pork or steak strips, or even tofu. Instead of angel hair pasta, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine would work, or you could pass up the noodles in favor of rice. The saucy chicken could also be accompanied by French or Italian bread for dipping, or you could go low-carb with zoodles or cauliflower rice.