Saturday, January 03, 2009

Chicken Scampi


When we go home for the holidays, my parents always ask if there is anything special we would like to eat while we're there. My dad's fresh pasta is always a special treat, so that was my top request for Christmas this year. Dad and I made a deal - he would make the pasta if I would make the sauce/topping. I decided on chicken scampi and found an Olive Garden recipe knockoff online. It doesn't look very colorful, but it tasted great! I will definitely make this again.

Here is the original recipe I found, with a few adaptations. I quadrupled the portions when I made this (and it made a huge amount of pasta), but I decided to post the 2-3 serving recipe:

Chicken Scampi
(2-3 servings)

WHITE SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk; hot

SCAMPI SAUCE:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
optional: 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
black pepper to taste
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white sauce

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
2 servings (fresh or dried) angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
1 red bell pepper - or - 1/2 jar roasted red peppers, drained; thinly sliced
red onions; thinly sliced, to taste
10 cloves of garlic; roasted
2 chicken breasts; sliced
olive oil

For white sauce: Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in sauce pan, add 2 Tbsp. flour and cook for 2 minutes on med. heat. heat stirring constantly. slowly add 3/4 cup hot milk (hot so it won't get lumpy). Set aside. (Make sure that the white sauce is hot when adding to the scampi sauce)

For scampi sauce: Heat butter over low heat. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes on low heat. Add the wine and chicken broth, stir until combined. Add white sauce and cook until slightly thickened (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in olive until chicken is almost completely cooked. Add peppers and onions, saute until chicken is done. Add the sauce; saute until everything is warmed. Add roasted garlic cloves. Serve over pasta.

For roasted garlic: Separate head of garlic into individual cloves still in 'paper'. Toss in olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil or a small pint sized dish with a lid. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. When the garlic has cooled to the touch you should be able to squeeze it out of the 'paper' shell of the individual cloves.

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