One-Pan Creamy Chicken Scampi with Restaurant-Style Garlic Parmesan Rice
You will make tender chicken in a rich, buttery garlic scampi sauce served over creamy, savory garlic parmesan rice. This one-pan dinner delivers restaurant-quality flavor with simple weeknight preparation.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or extra chicken broth
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Season the cut chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- Add the uncooked rice to the same skillet and toast it for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Do not lift the lid during this time.
- While the rice cooks, prepare the scampi sauce. In a separate small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Pour in the white wine (or broth) and lemon juice. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir the heavy cream into the sauce.
- Once the rice is done cooking, remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream mixture, the grated Parmesan cheese, and the chopped parsley directly into the rice in the skillet. Stir gently until the rice is creamy.
- Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and stir to coat it in the creamy rice and sauce.
- Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Notes
- For the creamiest rice, use freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of pre-shredded.
- If you skip the wine, add a splash of water to the sauce base to maintain liquid volume.
- This recipe works well as a one-pan meal, but you can cook the chicken separately if your skillet is too small for everything.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 13
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 35
- Cholesterol: 120