Chicken Scampi (Easy, High-Protein Dinner Idea)

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This Chicken Scampi recipe is a lightweight, flavorful weeknight pasta dinner that’s high-protein and comes collectively in underneath half-hour.

Chicken Scampi

This simple Chicken Scampi is my high-protein spin on traditional shrimp scampi—made with juicy hen breast, garlic, lemon, and a buttery white wine sauce tossed with entire wheat angel hair and spinach. I really developed this whereas testing recipes for Skinnytaste Simple, but it surely didn’t make the lower because it has greater than 7 elements. Still, it was too good to not share right here!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Scampi Recipe

On weeknights once I don’t have the time or power to cook dinner, I like whipping up a fast pasta dish. I like this one as a result of it’s child and husband accredited, and since I’m attempting to hit my protein targets, it’s Gina accredited too!

Quick: Ready in underneath half-hour
High Protein: 47g protein per serving and lighter than conventional scampi recipes
Kid-Friendly: Easy dinner the household will love!

Not within the temper for pasta? More hen breast recipes with no pasta you may also take pleasure in, do this Chicken Piccata or my fashionable Chicken Parmesan Recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll have to make this recipe, see recipe card for precise measurements.

Chicken: Boneless, skinless hen breasts, lower into small cubes for fast cooking.
Garlic: Thinly sliced for traditional scampi taste.
Butter: Just sufficient to offer the sauce richness.
Dry white wine or broth: For deglazing the pan and building taste. Broth can be utilized when you don’t drink wine.
Crushed crimson pepper flakes: Optional, however a pinch provides heat.
Lemon juice: Brightens up the sauce.
Spinach: Stirred in on the finish for colour and added vitamins.
Whole wheat angel hair pasta: I like utilizing Delallo for its texture and style. You can use plain or gluten-free pasta if you want!

How to Make Chicken Scampi

Here’s the step-by-step instructions for making this simple hen dinner. See recipe card for printable instructions.

Boil the pasta: Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the hen: Cut into ½-inch cubes and season. Brown in batches over high warmth for a fast sear, then put aside.
Build the sauce: In the identical pan, sauté the garlic in butter, then deglaze with wine or broth, scraping up the bits. Add crimson pepper and salt. Simmer to scale back.
Add ending touches: Stir in tomatoes briefly, then the remainder of the butter and lemon juice. Remove from warmth.
Toss the whole lot collectively: Cook the pasta al dente, reserve some water, then toss the pasta with hen, spinach, and sauce. Add pasta water as wanted to coat. Finish with parsley and Parmesan.

Variations

Swap the protein: Use shrimp as an alternative of hen for a extra conventional scampi. It cooks even quicker!
Make it gluten-free: Use your favourite gluten-free spaghetti or angel hair pasta.
Add extra veggies: Toss in sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, or cherry tomatoes for further taste and fiber.
Use broth as an alternative of wine: If you like to skip the alcohol, hen broth works properly instead of dry white wine.
Make it spicy: Add extra crimson pepper flakes or a splash of scorching sauce for warmth.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 /2 cups

Cook Mode

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.
Cut hen breasts into small ½ inch cubes. Season the hen on either side with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to style.
Heat a really massive skillet over high warmth. When the pan is scorching, spray the skillet with oil and add half the hen and cook dinner till browned on all sides and now not pink inside, 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining hen. Set apart and scale back warmth.
Add ½ tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and soften, add the garlic and saute till aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the white wine or broth, crushed crimson pepper flakes and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook, scraping the underside of the pan, till decreased by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and allow them to cook dinner 1 minute, to melt.
Add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons butter and soften, add the lemon juice, take away from the warmth.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook dinner based on bundle instructions for al dente, reserve ½ cup water. Drain the pasta and toss with the hen, add the spinach and cook dinner 1 minute tossing with the sauce including among the reserved pasta water if wanted. Finish with recent parsley and serve with loads of grated Parmesan cheese.

Last Step:

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Serving: 1 /2 cups, Calories: 482.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 42.5 g, Protein: 47 g, Fat: 12 g, Saturated Fat: 4.5 g, Cholesterol: 139.4 mg, Sodium: 373.5 mg, Fiber: 7.5 g, Sugar: 1.5 g

Recipe Tips

Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning the hen—cook dinner in batches for the most effective sear.
Wine vs broth: Wine provides depth, however broth works simply as properly when you favor it alcohol-free.
Use tongs to toss the pasta with the sauce—it helps coat each strand.

More Weeknight Pasta Dinners

For extra dinner concepts utilizing pasta, try these 5 scrumptious pasta recipes to encourage your subsequent meal!

If you make this high protein hen scampi recipe, I might like to see it. Tag me in your pictures or movies on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And make sure you be part of the Skinnytaste Community to see what everybody’s cooking!