Chicken Scampi With Garlic Rice (Printable Version)
Buttery lemon garlic chicken served over creamy parmesan rice, ready in 45 minutes.
# Ingredient List:
→ 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 unsalted 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 unsalted 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:
01 - In a mixing bowl, toss the chicken strips with olive oil, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice until evenly coated. 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 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the grains are lightly toasted.
03 - Pour in the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from heat, fold in the grated parmesan, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
04 - While the rice rests, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken strips in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
05 - In the same skillet, add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute over medium heat. Deglaze the pan with white wine (or additional chicken broth), scraping up any browned bits, and cook for 1–2 minutes until slightly reduced. Reduce heat, stir in the 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 and pan sauce. Garnish with additional grated parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- That scampi sauce is pure liquid gold, and you will want to drizzle it on everything once you taste it.
- The parmesan rice cooks right in chicken broth, so every single grain is loaded with savory depth.
- It feels like a restaurant quality meal but comes together in under an hour on a single weeknight.
02 -
- Do not skip the resting time for the rice after adding Parmesan, those five minutes transform the texture from sticky to silky.
- Crowding the pan with chicken is the fastest way to steam it instead of searing it, so cook in two batches if your skillet is on the smaller side.
03 -
- Pat the chicken strips completely dry before marinating them, because moisture is the enemy of a good sear and I learned this the hard way after one too many pale, steamed chicken dinners.
- Use a microplane to grate the Parmesan as finely as possible so it dissolves seamlessly into the rice rather than clumping into chewy little pockets.