Creamy Chicken Scampi Pasta

Impressive creamy chicken scampi in about 30 minutes!

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This creamy chicken scampi pasta is just as delicious as it sounds, and it comes together in about 30 minutes! The sauce is creamy from a little heavy cream, the chicken is moist and juicy, and the pasta soaks up all the delicious sauce flavors to make this dish a hit. Get all of your ingredients together and prep them first because things move pretty quickly once you get started. Remember, it’s easier to zest your lemons before you juice them and use the herbs you have on hand.

Impress your family or party guests

• Moist tender chicken
• Creamy, cheesy, lemony herb sauce
• Perfectly cooked sauce-covered pasta
• Quick and impressive creamy lemon herb chicken scampi pasta!

Rich, creamy scampi ingredients

• Linguini, fettuccini, or spaghetti pasta
• Boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Flour
• Olive oil
• Butter -salted or unsalted is fine since you can control the salt for the dish
• Medium onion -finely chopped
• Garlic cloves -grated or minced
• zest of a lemon -zest before juicing
• Fresh lemon juice -always fresh, never from a bottle
• Chicken broth
• Heavy whipping cream
• Finely chopped fresh parsley –use basil or dill if that’s what you have on hand
• Dried thyme
• Dried crushed oregano
• Grated Parmesan cheese -grate it from a block to avoid anti-caking ingredients

Substitutions and additions

You can always use additions and substitutions to make my recipes your own. So, I’ll make some suggestions for this one. Try mozzarella or a feta and mozzarella combination if you don’t care for parmesan cheese. To add more veggies, sauté mushrooms with the onions or add chopped roasted red peppers with the lemon zest. I serve this creamy chicken sauce over pasta, but you could serve it over some couscous, riced cauliflower, or even mashed potatoes. Let me know how you make it!

How to make Creamy Chicken Scampi Pasta

• Place the chicken breast on a flat surface and butterfly it by slicing it into two cutlets beginning at the thickest side and ending at the thinnest point.
• Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil.
• Pan-fry the chicken in 2-3 batches for about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 °F. If you substituted chicken tenders, fry them for about 3 minutes per side.
• Set the chicken aside.
• Start and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Undercook the pasta by about a minute because it will finish cooking in the sauce later, and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water for the sauce.
• Then, add the butter and onion to the skillet you cooked the chicken in, and cook until softened –about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant, then add the chicken broth and cook until reduced—about 4 minutes.
• Stir in the lemon zest, thyme, and oregano to the sauce.
• Then, add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the heavy cream, 1 cup of pasta water, and salt, if needed.
• Toss together and taste.
• Add the parsley and Parmesan cheese to the saucy pasta.
• To finish, chop the chicken into strips and serve over the pasta.

Reheating

Did you notice that I asked you to save two cups of pasta water? One cup is for the sauce, and one cup is for reheating any leftovers you may have. To help rehydrate your saucy pasta after being in the refrigerator, add some of the extra cup of reserved pasta water to the pasta before reheating.

Serving

This creamy chicken scampi pasta is so saucy and delicious that the whole family will love it. And because it looks just as good as it tastes, it’s impressive enough to serve at a dinner party. Add a fresh salad and some feta filled bread, and you’re well on your way to a fun party! Kali Orexi!