This Creamy Chicken Scampi recipe is the perfect Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat recipe. Tender, juicy chicken breast, in a rich and creamy, garlicky sauce, with sautéed peppers and onions. It is a super simple one pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients in Creamy Chicken Scampi (Olive Garden Copycat)
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
Step by Step Directions
STEP 1: Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken tenders and pan-sear on both sides until they are a nice golden brown, about 3 minutes each side.
STEP 2: Remove the chicken from the pan, cover and set aside (Chicken will not be fully cooked at this stage.) Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the garlic and half of the onions. Sauté until the onions are tender and the garlic is fragrant.
STEP 3: Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Using a rubber spatula, scrape off and mix in any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low to simmer. Let simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
STEP 4: Add the heavy cream and allow to simmer 5 to 10 minutes to allow sauce to begin thickening. Mix in Parmesan cheese, sea salt and black pepper to taste.
STEP 5: Add chicken back to the pan, along with the remaining onions and the mixed bell peppers. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce on medium-low. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers are crisp-tender, the sauce has thickened, and the chicken is cooked through. Plate the chicken and then pour the sauce over top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley before serving. Then ENJOY! This is the perfect Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat.
What to serve with the Best Chicken Scampi Recipe
- Serve it on top of Shirataki noodles - Tips for cooking below
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with Creamy Dijon Cider Dressing
- Sweet and Spicy Green Beans
- Herbed Goat Cheese Cauliflower Mash
- Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Caper Aioli
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Storage: Store leftover creamy chicken scampi in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating this in a pan on the stovetop and adding a splash of cream to help bring the sauce back to life.
- Change up the protein: Instead of making chicken scampi, you can also replace the chicken with shrimp to make a shrimp scampi. It is also delicious with pork or even salmon.
- Add white wine: To enhance the flavor even more, replace half of the chicken stock with dry white wine.
- Add more veggies: Amp up the nutritional value with more vegetables. Some of my favorites to add are mushrooms and broccoli.
- Make it dairy free: To make this a dairy free creamy chicken scampi, you can use full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream and use a vegan parmesan cheese, or omit the cheese altogether. For a cheesy parmesan flavor without using cheese, you can also add a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a take on a traditional scampi sauce, with the additional of cream and cheese - olive oil, butter, garlic, broth, white wine, red pepper flakes and parsley.
It is important to drain the liquid they are stored in and soak them in a bowl of fresh water for about 20 minutes. From there, drain them and give them another good rinse. If they still have an odor or feel a little slimy, soak them again. Then, drain them and dry fry them in a pan for abut 5 minutes.
Taking all of these steps will help them absorb the flavors you are cooking them in and lose a lot of that rubbery texture.
Pinot grigio, Sauvignon Blanc,
More Keto Chicken Recipes
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PrintCreamy Chicken Scampi
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 Servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Creamy Chicken Scampi recipe is the perfect Olive Garden Copycat recipe. Tender, juicy chicken breast, in a rich and creamy, garlicky sauce, with sautéed peppers and onions. It is a super simple one pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut into tenders sized pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 ounces mixed bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green), sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning (I use this brand)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- freshly shredded parmesan cheese, for serving and garnish
- finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken tenders and pan-sear on both sides until they are a nice golden brown, about 3 minutes each side. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover and set aside (Chicken will not be fully cooked at this stage.)
- Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the garlic and half of the onions. Sauté until the onions are tender and the garlic is fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Using a rubber spatula, scrape off and mix in any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low to simmer. Let simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and allow to simmer 5 to 10 minutes to allow sauce to begin thickening. Mix in Parmesan cheese, sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add chicken back to the pan, along with the remaining onions and the mixed bell peppers. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce on medium-low. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers are crisp-tender, the sauce has thickened, and the chicken is cooked through.
- Plate the chicken and then pour the sauce over top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley before serving.
Notes
- net carbs per serving: 4g
- Storage: Store leftover creamy chicken scampi in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating this in a pan on the stovetop and adding a splash of cream to help bring the sauce back to life.
- Change up the protein: Instead of making chicken scampi, you can also replace the chicken with shrimp to make a shrimp scampi. It is also delicious with pork or even salmon.
- Add white wine: To enhance the flavor even more, replace half of the chicken stock with dry white wine.
- Add more veggies: Amp up the nutritional value with more vegetables. Some of my favorites to add are mushrooms and broccoli.
- Make it dairy free: To make this a dairy free creamy chicken scampi, you can use full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream and use a vegan parmesan cheese, or omit the cheese altogether. For a cheesy parmesan flavor without using cheese, you can also add a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Chicken Recipes
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 680
- Fat: 34g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 38g
Keywords: Keto chicken scampi, low carb chicken scampi, Olive Garden copycat, Olive Garden chicken scampi recipe, gluten free chicken scampi, what does scampi mean, keto chicken recipes, one pot keto recipes, low carb chicken dishes, best chicken scampi recipe
**Recipe originally published on October 4th 2012 - Recipe updated on April 25th 2022**
Jan Martinell says
Oh My Goodness this is delicious! just made a mini version for lunch with left over chicken, peppers, and onion pizza toppings and spaghetti squash from the weekend (and then licked the bowl) ..... Headed to the store to make it for reals for dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Karen Dawson says
The picture of the ingredients looks to include a bowl of Cottage Cheese.
But Cottage Cheese is not listed in the recipe or the instructions . . .
Just want to be sure I am not missing something before I go off to the store 🙂
Can't wait to make this for dinner!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
That is fresh grated Parmesan. It is listed in the ingredient list.
Teresa Randall says
OMG ! Just made this for dinner, wow, it was delicious! Long ago, I, like you was a big fan of Chicken Scampi at unnamed chain restaurant. Stop eating many many years ago and I am so happy to enjoy this dish at home, thank you so much for developing this recipe and even more thanks for sharing it. It will be a regular at our home !
Heather says
Looks fabulous. Will likely try this out tomorrow for dinner. Thanks for posting!!
Erika says
Absolutely delicious! My fiance loved it too and couldn't believe it was low carb. Definitely adding it to our repeat meals. Thank you!
Claudine says
I made this tonight and kept it a little thinner and served it over spaghetti squash. It was delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Mandy M. says
This was absolutely divine! I did not change one thing!
Wendy says
Made this tonight as it's our first official night of eating healthier and going low carb (husband was recently diagnosed T2 Diabeties). I'm serving it with Angel Hair pasta (hubs and I only get like 1/2 a serving of that). I cheated while draining the pasta and dipped a few noodles in the pot of sauce. HEAVEN! This will definitely be in our rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
Yay! So happy to hear that you like it. Thank you for taking the time to come back to the site and let me know. 🙂
Dori says
LOVED this! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Brook says
I just made this and OMG, it is ever GOOD!!! Awesome recipe! Thanks!!!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
Thanks! I am so happy you enjoyed it.