Chicken Scampi Linguini is strips of chicken breasts pan-seared and mixed in with pasta and a buttery, garlicky, lemon sauce with a little kick from red pepper flakes.
CHICKEN SCAMPI LINGUINI
I stuck with the traditional shrimp scampi sauce using garlic, butter, and lemon for this recipe. The name, chicken scampi, doesn’t really make sense since scampi are really lobster-type crustaceans. But, I am not here to get into renaming this delicious pasta dish–just how to make it! (And no, there are no prawns or lobsters in this recipe.)
CHICKEN SCAMPI LINGUINI RECIPE
- Linguini noodles–I will give you directions below on how to make your own homemade pasta noodles if you feel motivated!
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Garlic–It makes such a huge difference in flavor when you mince your own garlic. Leave the jarred minced garlic on the shelf and take a minute to mince your own.
- Crushed red pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Dry white vermouth–There are a couple of substitutes to use in place of dry white vermouth. Use a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or white wine vinegar.
- Lemon juice–Freshly squeezed is best!
- Parsley–Flat-leaf parsley (used in this recipe) has more flavor than curly-leaf parsley, which is usually used for garnish.
- Parmesan cheese
Before you get going on the chicken and sauce, cook the noodles al dente, per package directions. Rinse the noodles and set them aside.
HOW TO CUT CHICKEN BREASTS
For this recipe, I wanted chicken pieces rather than an entire chicken breast. To cut chicken breasts, get out a long, sharp knife. Before cutting, either pat the chicken dry with a paper towel or let it sit on a plate in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will make the chicken not so slippery and easier to handle.
When you are ready to cut the chicken breast into pieces, place it on a cutting board. Cut the pieces against the grain (that white muscle fiber). I cut between three and four pieces per chicken breast. Each piece ended up about 1/2 inch thick. Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw chicken.
HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN
Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Next, in a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes per side. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook the chicken an additional minute.
Make sure the chicken is cooked through the center and has an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit. You may need to adjust the time based on the thickness of your chicken. After the chicken has been cooked, place the pieces of chicken on a plate or in a bowl. Tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil to keep the chicken warm and keep it from drying out as you prepare the rest of the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SCAMPI
Once the pasta and chicken have been prepared, it’s time to get to the sauce. In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, add the butter, vermouth, and lemon juice. Bring it to a boil and let it start to thicken, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Next, stir in the parsley. Finally, combine the sauce, chicken, and cooked noodles in the skillet and toss it all together. Serve warm and top with parmesan cheese and a side of garlic breadsticks.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE LINGUINI (OR OTHER PASTA)
If you take a look at the ingredients needed for the homemade linguine, you should notice you don’t need a lot of them! I used the same ingredients for my homemade Five Cheese Ravioli.
- Start by sifting the flour and salt onto your work surface (like a large board), making a well in the center. A well is simply making a circle of flour and salt, leaving a space in the middle for your eggs.
- Crack one full egg into the well. Then, add the egg whites and oil to the whole egg. Use a whisk to mix the eggs and oil together as best you can (within the well).
- Begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture next. I like to use a wooden spoon when I first start. But, eventually, you will have to get your hands in there to knead the dough for a few minutes. A bench scraper comes in really handy when dealing with dough. A bench scraper can help get off any dough that has stuck to your work surface. It is also great for cutting apart any dough you need to separate. Don’t let the dough get too moist. It will moisten as it sits.
- After kneading the dough, roll it into a ball, cover it, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
- Next, roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick. It has to fit into the KitchenAid Pasta Roller at its widest setting. Continue to lower the setting for each time you run the dough through the attachment. The final run-through of the dough should make the sheet of dough almost see-through.
- Once you have your dough thin enough, cut it into thirds, lengthwise, or however long you want your linguine to be.
- Switch out the pasta roller to your spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguine attachment and run each piece of dough through to get your noodles!
- Boil your noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes.
- Toss the noodles with your chicken scampi and serve.
CAN I MAKE HOMEMADE PASTA AHEAD OF TIME?
Although best made fresh, you can store your homemade pasta to use at a later time. Your ball of dough will be fine at room temperature for up to 3 hours, but if you need to store it for longer, you may wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days. Another option is freezing the dough. Just be sure to get it to room temperature before rolling it out.
If you have already cut your dough into noodles, you can keep the noodles in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or the freezer for up to 2 weeks. In both cases, be sure to place the noodles on a baking sheet that is covered with semolina flour (a flour used in many pasta making recipes). If you don’t have semolina flour on hand, just use all-purpose flour. The point is to not let the noodles stick together while storing them. If freezing the noodles, let them freeze on the baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Linguini noodles, cooked al dente per package directions
CHICKEN
- 1 pound (2-3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
SAUCE
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dry white vermouth
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine noodles and cook al dente (according to package directions). Rinse the noodles and set aside.
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, cut the chicken breasts into strips, and season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken strips and cook until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side). Add garlic and crushed red pepper to the pan and cook for 1 additional minute. (The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be 165°F.)
Transfer the chicken to a bowl, tent with aluminum foil, and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the butter, vermouth, and lemon juice. Boil until slightly thickened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add parsley and stir to combine.
Combine the sauce, chicken, and noodles, and toss to combine.
Top with parmesan cheese.
