Chicken Scampi Recipe

Chicken scampi is the perfect alternative for anyone who doesn't like seafood but loves scampi. It's also a much less expensive choice compared to shrimp scampi, with all the robust flavor of the scampi sauce.

Angel hair pasta goes perfectly with scampi because of it's thinness. Each piece of pasta gets soaked in scampi sauce and doesn't overwhelm the chicken in each bite.

Serve with a nice crusty Italian bread (warmed for a few minutes in the oven) and crisp salad with a light dressing for the perfect Italian style meal that doesn't break your budget.

Chicken Scampi

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (4 to 6), cut into cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
hot cooked pasta

Directions:

1. Put the chicken on a large pie pan or plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the chicken so it lays flat and is evenly spaced.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of chicken over the pan so the pieces fall into the pan all at once.

3. Cook the chicken, until no longer pink (about 7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn the chicken over and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.

5. Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the vermouth and lemon juice. Boil the liquid until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.

6. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir the zest and parsley into the sauce.

7.  Pour the sauce over the chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

8. Serve over hot cooked pasta.