Chicken Scampi with Parmesan Rice (Printer-Friendly)
Juicy lemon-butter chicken strips paired with creamy garlic parmesan rice for a satisfying Italian-inspired dinner.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken & Marinade
01 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1/2 tsp salt
04 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
05 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
06 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ Garlic Parmesan Rice
07 - 1 tbsp butter
08 - 1 tbsp olive oil
09 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
11 - 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 - 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
13 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Scampi Sauce
14 - 2 tbsp butter
15 - 2 tbsp olive oil
16 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
17 - Juice of 1 lemon
18 - 1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
19 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
# How to Make It:
01 - In a mixing bowl, toss the chicken strips with olive oil, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Set aside to marinate while preparing the rice.
02 - Heat butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly toasted.
03 - Pour chicken broth into the saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir in the parmesan cheese, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
04 - While the rice simmers, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken strips and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through and golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
05 - In the same skillet, add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with white wine (or extra chicken broth) and cook 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Lower the heat, add lemon juice and parsley, then return the chicken to the pan, tossing to coat evenly in the sauce.
06 - Spoon the garlic parmesan rice onto plates and top with the chicken scampi. Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The rice absorbs chicken broth and parmesan until each bite tastes like a warm hug from an Italian grandmother.
- Everything cooks in under 45 minutes, which means you can pull this off on a weeknight without breaking a sweat.
- The scampi sauce is basically liquid gold, and you will want to drizzle it on everything once you taste it.
02 -
- Do not stir the rice while it simmers, because every time you lift the lid you release steam and extend the cooking time, and you risk ending up with mush instead of fluffy grains.
- Letting the chicken rest on a plate after searing means it finishes cooking gently in its own residual heat and stays juicy when you return it to the pan.
03 -
- Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness before slicing so every strip cooks at the same rate and you never end up with some pieces dry and others still pink in the middle.
- Reserve a tablespoon of pasta water from the rice pot before draining, because that starchy liquid can rescue a sauce that looks too thin or a pan that looks too dry.