20 Min EASY Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta! Swap the shrimp for chicken in this classic recipe. All you need is chicken, angel hair pasta, butter, olive oil, garlic, white wine, lemon, and parsley. Perfect midweek dinner!
Most people associate scampi with shrimp and other shellfish, but guess what? This classic pasta dish works just as well with chicken.
The richness from the butter and olive oil are balanced by the acidity of the lemon juice and white wine. You also get a punch of garlic, a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes, and some freshness from the parsley.
The most important thing to remember with this recipe is to reserve some of the pasta cooking water. It helps to make a luscious sauce that brings all of the ingredients together.
This recipe is all about the sauce and the pasta. If you’d like more protein or fresh vegetables in your meal, feel free to increase the amount of chicken or throw in whatever veggies you have in the fridge.
Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta Recipe
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus more lemon wedges for serving (about 1 tablespoon of zest and 3 tablespoons of juice)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Method
1 Make the pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, according to package instructions or until al dente. Scoop out about a cup of the pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta.
2 Cook the chicken: Meanwhile, melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with the salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest, leaving the fat in the pan.
3 Make the sauce: Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes.
4 Finish the pasta: Add the cooked pasta, lemon zest, parsley, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and toss to combine. If it seems too dry or like the sauce isn’t coating the pasta, stir in some more of the reserved pasta cooking water.
Cut the chicken into slices and toss with the pasta. Serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing over the scampi.
