Rich, garlic butter Chicken Scampi without Wine is served over pasta with a buttery scampi sauce. It is delicious and done in 30 minutes!
This recipe is a twist on shrimp scampi! It is made with chicken and without shrimp.
Need another meal that can be cooked in under 30 minutes? Try Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup!
Chicken Scampi with Broccoli can be a stand alone dish because it has protein, carbohydrates and a vegetable. However, it also pairs really well with a green salad and these Air Fryer Garlic Croutons!
Why You'll Love This Chicken Scampi
- Although this recipe is made without cream, you still get a nice rich butter sauce from the butter, olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese.
- It is an inexpensive meal and can be made quickly with many common pantry ingredients.
- Chicken Scampi is a perfect weekday meal when you need something quick that everyone in the family will love.
- It is better than the Olive Garden chicken scampi recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make Homemade Chicken Broccoli Scampi Without Wine.
Pasta: Really any shape of dried pasta is going to be just fine in this recipe. We typically use rotini because it picks up the sauce well and it is easy for the kids to grab with their forks.
Chicken: Either chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins are great in this recipe.
Broccoli: Broccoli makes this pasta dish a little healthier. If you have picky eaters, have them try this broccoli. It is sauteed in garlic and butter and much more flavorful that steamed broccoli.
Garlic: Fresh garlic is going to make a big difference in flavor. The garlic that is already minced is almost as good, but using fresh cloves of garlic will give you the best flavor.
Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If using unsalted, you may need to add a bit of salt to taste.
Olive Oil: I use the Kirkland brand extra virgin olive oil. It has a great mild flavor.
Chicken Bouillon: I highly recommend the Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base. It is going to give you a bigger punch of flavor than regular chicken stock and it will help the pasta to be more flavorful.
Parmesan Cheese: Using fresh grated parmesan cheese is a must. Using the shelf stable parmesan will not give you the creamy rich flavor.
How to Make It
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full recipe with ingredient measurements is below!
Begin boiling pasta and sautéing chicken.
Remove the browned chicken and sauté the broccoli and garlic. Then add the browned chicken, water, bouillon.
Simmer for a couple minutes and then mix it in with the pasta. Finish with the fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese and parsley.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cook the pasta to al dente to make sure that the noodles aren't mushy. Drain it and then add the garlic butter sauce, cooked chicken and broccoli to the pasta.
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese is a must over the prepackaged parmesan.
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Chicken Broccoli Scampi will stay good in the refrigerator for 4 days.
- Reheating: You can reheat the meal in a microwave.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing it.
Additions and Substitutions
Chicken: Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins can be used. This meal can also be made without chicken. It is still absolutely delicious!
Pasta: Most types of pastas will work in this meal. I prefer rotini because it picks up the sauce really well between all the little spirals and my kids can eat it without linguine or spaghetti hanging past their chins.
Olive Oil: Using olive oil or extra virgin olive oil will add a little depth of flavor to this dish, but you can absolutely substitute canola or vegetable oil.
Parmesan Cheese: This pasta dish can be made without the parmesan cheese and it will still be delicious, but it won't be as creamy and rich.
FAQs
Traditional scampi sauce has garlic, butter, white wine and lemon.
The biggest difference is the protein. Both will have very similar sauces (depending on the recipe) that contain butter, garlic, white wine and lemon. However, one will include instructions on how to make it with chicken vs. how to make it with shrimp. Overall, the taste should be very similar.
Scampi refers to large shrimp or prawns. However, it is commonly used as a way to describe a dish with shrimp in a garlic butter sauce.
More From Thyme for the Table
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More Chicken Dishes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos is an easy weeknight meal.
- Keto Tuscan Chicken is rich and creamy.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Broccoli Scampi Without Wine
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounces box of pasta (we like rotini, linguine, campanelle)
- 1 large head of broccoli (about 3 cups)
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts)
- 6 tablespoons butter (separated into 2 tablespoons each)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon (highly recommend Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base)
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and turn on high heat.
- While waiting for the water to boil, wash and cut the broccoli into bite sized pieces. Mince the garlic or use a garlic press.
- Cut the chicken up into small pieces. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper to the chicken.
- Add the pasta once the water starts boiling.
- As soon as you add the pasta begin cooking the rest of the ingredients. Put 2 tablespoons of butter and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the chicken and brown each side. Remove chicken and place it in a bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan the chicken was cooked in. Add the broccoli and minced garlic. Sprinkle a little salt on the broccoli. Add the garlic to broccoli and mix it together. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. If the broccoli begins to brown you can turn down the heat and add two tablespoon of water to the pan.
- After the 4 minutes, add the browned chicken, water and chicken bouillon to the broccoli in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on a low simmer. Check to make sure chicken is cooked through.
- Drain the pasta once it is al dente. Keep the pot on low heat. Then add the cooked broccoli, chicken and garlic butter sauce to the pasta. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix all the ingredients together until the butter has melted.
- Add the fresh lemon juice and toss to make sure the liquid has coated all the pasta. Add salt and a little pepper. Finish by adding a quarter cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley.
Notes
- Cook the pasta to al dente to make sure that the noodles aren't mushy.
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese makes this recipe very rich!
- Storage: Chicken Broccoli Scampi will stay good in the refrigerator for 4 days.
- Reheating: You can reheat the meal in a microwave.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing it.
Food Safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
Helen says
Love a quick and tasty recipe! This looks great.
Natalie says
I just saved this recipe. Such a lovely weekday dinner idea. Easy and filling. My son will enjoy this for sure. Thanks!
Kechi says
I love that you made this without wine! Perfect weekday lunch/dinner! YUM
Savita says
A perfect chicken pasta dinner looks so delicious.
Kate says
Loved this recipe! It was easy to put together and it tasted amazing, thank you!
Thyme for the Table says
You're welcome!
Christina says
How much lemon juice is this supposed to have? I don't see it in the ingredient list.
Jen Talley says
Hi Christina! Thanks for the comment. I just updated the recipe card to include the 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. It adds a nice fresh flavor, but you could always add more if you'd like the lemon to shine through.
Candance says
This recipe sounds delicious I’m so anxious to try several of them but I am wondering why I don’t add I can’t add wine to the chicken scampi I’m wondering if the little white wine is going to ruin the taste please let me know and also please keep the recipes coming they’re yummy
Jen Talley says
You can add white wine to the recipe, I just don't keep any in the house so I made this recipe without it. Enjoy!