Chicken Bellagio
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This Chicken Bellagio dinner recipe is a copy-cat of the popular Cheesecake Factory chicken and pasta dish with crispy, juicy pan-fried chicken, spaghetti coated in a creamy Parmesan pesto cream sauce and topped with prosciutto and arugula!
Author:
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup of pesto sauce (store-bought or homemade), divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • 1 cup of flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb pasta, linguini or spaghetti
  • ¼ cup onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 shaved slices Prosciutto, cut into roughly one inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped small
  • ⅓ cup pine nuts
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1.5 cup arugula
Instructions
  1. Cut chicken into strips, approximately 1” wide by 2” long. This doesn't have to be exact.
  2. Mix egg whites, lemon juice, oregano and 2 tablespoons of pesto and stir to combine. Place in a large zip-loc bag with chicken strips and marinate for 45 minutes to an hour.
  3. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet or frying pan pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn them - it can happen fast. Toasting brings out the flavor in the nuts.
  4. Whisk together the flour. salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip the marinated chicken strips in the flour, coat both sides, shake of excess.
  5. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until hot, being careful not to burn the butter. Add the flour-coated chicken strips and cook on both sides for about 3 minutes until cooked through and not longer or chicken will get tough. Don't crowd the pan - you may need to cook the chicken in a few batches and add extra butter/oil as necessary.
  6. Once cooked through, place chicken on a plate and cover with foil.
  7. Cook pasta according to directions on box.
  8. Turn heat down to medium and saute your onion for about 2 minutes in the same skillet or frying pan until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for about 20 seconds or just until fragrant, stirring constantly - be careful not to burn it. Add chopped Prosciutto, parsley and toasted pine nuts and cook for 1-2 additional minutes.
  9. Slowly add in the heavy cream and 4 tablespoons of the pesto sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Mix in ⅓ cup of the Parmesan cheese until fully melted into the sauce. The rest of the Parmesan will be added on top right before serving.
  10. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and gently mix to coat the chicken.
  11. Mix 3-4 tablespoons of the pesto with the cooked pasta and place on a serving platter or large plate. Put the chicken/cream mixture on top the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese (use as much as you want) and top with the arugula. You can also do this all on individual plates, if you prefer. It looks very impressive all served on one platter and you can let guests take as much as they want. Enjoy!
Recipe by Wishes and Dishes at https://wishesndishes.com/chicken-bellagio/