Creamy chicken scampi is such a flavorful and satisfying dish! Linguine noodles covered in a delicious buttery garlic sauce with caramelized onions and colorful bell peppers, then topped with tender chicken tenders. 

One of my favorite things to order at Olive Garden is their chicken scampi. I have so many great memories of eating there with my little sister and this dish just takes me right back! We finally got an OG here in the city about 2 years ago but it just feels wrong going there without her in tow so I had to recreate this recipe at home. 😉 Which is fine because it’s so good and easy! 

While I feel like my version of chicken scampi is pretty close to the Olive Garden version, feel free to make some changes. You can add other vegetables such as broccoli (that would be a good one, I bet!), mushrooms, or zucchini. I substituted the white wine and used chicken broth with white rice vinegar instead to still give it that tangy flavor. Go ahead and use white wine, we don’t drink and I didn’t want to buy some just for this dish. I think it still tastes very similar though! I also used linguine pasta but you can use any pasta you prefer. Just as long as it’s still a type of noodle.

So here’s my version. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 12 chicken tenders
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz linguine pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour 
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon white rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning  
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers and onions and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an extra 30 seconds. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. 
3. Remove the vegetables from the skillet, place on a plate and cover to keep warm. With a paper towel, wipe out the skillet. 
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.   
5. Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a flat dish and mix well with a fork. Place milk in a shallow dish. 
6. Dredge the chicken tenders first in the flour, then dip into milk, then dredge in the flour again. Set aside. 
7. Place the chicken in hot skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side until it has browned on both sides (add more olive oil if needed). Remove chicken from skillet and repeat with the rest of the tenders. Transfer to the plate with the vegetables.
8. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce.

SAUCE

1. Wipe out the pan and melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, white rice vinegar, and Italian seasoning and whisk to combine. 
2. Bring the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Pour the sauce and vegetables into the pot with the drained pasta; toss to evenly coat. 
5. Arrange the chicken on top and serve immediately.