Chicken Scampi (A Garlic Lover’s Favorite)

If you love garlic, my Chicken Scampi is a must-make. Crispy chicken cutlets are topped with melted cheese and smothered with an incredible garlic butter sauce. This dish is simple but impressive and nothing short of delicious.

Chicken Scampi – a happy misnomer

This recipe is one I created close to 30 years ago and was inspired by one of my favorite dishes, shrimp scampi, which is known for its velvety garlic butter sauce.

While the Italian word “scampi” translates to “shrimp” in English, there is no shrimp in my chicken scampi recipe. Rather, the dish gets its name because it is prepared in the same way you’d make shrimp scampi.

This was the first dish I ever cooked for my wife, Tara, and I’m pretty sure it’s what made her fall in love with me. I hope you make this incredible dish for a loved one in your life and that you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chicken in scampi sauce is excellent with a side of sauteed broccoli or garlicky broccoli rabe, and plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Chicken. I’m using chicken cutlets that I pound to less than 1/2-inch thick. You can skip this step entirely if you buy store-bought breaded and cooked chicken cutlets. It will make this dish even easier!
• Breading. The chicken will first be dredged in all-purpose flour, then dipped in an egg batter, and finally breaded in a combination of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, and flat-leaf Italian parsley. Note: there is a lemon pictured with the cutlet ingredients, but it is not used for the cutlets – instead, it is used for the chicken scampi sauce as outlined below.
• Oil. Use olive oil or vegetable oil for frying.

• Garlic. Chicken scampi is a garlicky sauce, so I’m using 10 cloves of garlic. Feel free to scale the garlic up or down to suit your own preference.
• Acid. I’m using both lemon juice and dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc. These combine with the chicken stock for the sauce.
• Butter. Use cold unsalted butter.
• Cheese. The first time I made this dish, I used American Muenster cheese and have been using it for this recipe ever since. It melts very well and has a mild flavor, which is great with all the other flavors in chicken scampi. You can also use sliced mozzarella cheese if desired. Please, don’t think I’m being original with this cheese. Many restaurants in the NY/NJ area use it for chicken parmigiana because it melts so well.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make chicken scampi

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Use a mallet to pound the chicken cutlets to less than 1/2-inch thick.
2. Set up a frying station to include one bowl with the flour and half the salt and pepper, a second bowl with the beaten eggs, and a third bowl with the breadcrumbs, Pecorino, parsley, and remaining salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess, and place in the egg wash. Allow the egg to coat the flour, then allow any excess to drip off.

3. Place the egged chicken in the breadcrumb mixture and coat on all sides, then set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat for all of the chicken.
4. Pour 1-inch high of oil in a large cast iron or heavy pan and heat until the oil reaches 340-360°F. Fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden on each side. Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan. When finished, set the chicken on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain.
5. Heat a 14-inch oven-safe pan to medium-low, add the olive oil, and once shimmering, add the garlic and 3 tablespoons of butter.
6. Once the garlic is golden, add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

7. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the sauce reduces by 1/4, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
8. Place the cutlets in the pan and spoon some sauce on top of each.
9. Place a slice of cheese on each cutlet.
10. Place under the broiler in the oven on the middle rack until the cheese is bubbly and browned, about 3-5 minutes, but watch carefully to prevent burning.

11. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken to a platter, then add the remaining cold butter to a pan and whisk it into the sauce. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed, then add the parsley.
12. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken on the platter and serve with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

More chicken recipes

If you love simple chicken dishes, give these other favorite recipes a try.

• Garlic butter chicken bites
• Chicken with prosciutto in creamy tomato sauce
• Chicken with roasted red peppers and mozzarella