Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan

Needing a little inspiration when it comes to cooking chicken again for the family? If so, then you’ll definitely want to try my Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan! This signature dish from Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a family favorite of ours and for many other American households too!

The lemon butter sauce with fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes is truly addictive while the goat cheese really highlights and pulls together all the rich flavors of this dish.

Making this Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan is also a cinch. In just 1 hour, you’ll have tender marinated chicken breasts smothered in a creamy lemon butter sauce that can be served alongside some mashed potato or even over pasta – anything to soak up all that flavor-packed sauce, right?!

This dish is great as a midweek family meal but is also sophisticated enough to serve to dinner guests on special occasions. Give it a try – you get to save time and money by making this copycat recipe at home while still getting all the rich flavors of a restaurant quality meal.

TIPS FOR MAKING COPYCAT CARRABBA’S CHICKEN BRYAN

1. Make sure that you use heavy cream for your sauce and cook it over a low heat to prevent it from curdling with the lemon juice. Using a lower fat cream substitute in this sauce (such as milk) is likely to result in curdling.
2. If your sauce does curdle, it’s still safe to eat but it just won’t look that appetizing so starting the process over will depend on personal preference.
3. For tender, juicy and very flavorful chicken, I suggest that you marinate your meat for a minimum of 30 minutes, preferably longer. Your chicken can be marinated for up to 1 day but you risk your chicken breasts becoming stringy if you go over this time.

How to Make Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Squish around the chicken and marinade so that all the chicken is fully coated. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. After chicken has marinated, pre-heat grill on high heat for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and discard bag. Place chicken on grill and cook on each side for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Adjust grill heat while cooking to ensure that there is a little bit of char, but the meat does not burn or catch on fire.
3. While chicken is grilling, prepare the lemon butter sauce. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic paste, basil, and tomato oil to the butter and saute for 1-2 minutes.
4. Squeeze lemon juice into the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Reduce heat to low. Slowly drizzle heavy cream into the skillet while whisking. Continue cooking on low for 2-3 minutes until sauce is well emulsified and thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
5. Plate one piece of grilled chicken. Spoon several tablespoons of sauce over the chicken. Top with a spoonful of sun-dried tomatoes and 1 oz. of goat cheese. Serve with additional sauce.

WHY IS THIS DISH CALLED CHICKEN BRYAN?

• This delicious chicken dish was named by the Carrabba family after the Texas town, Bryan, which is where they initially settled after immigrating from Italy around 1890.
• The first family-owned Carrabba restaurant opened in 1986 in Texas.  It was soon followed by another restaurant opening as Carrabba’s grew steadily in popularity. Today, Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a much-loved restaurant chain, well-known especially for it’s signature dish – Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH YOUR CHICKEN BRYAN

• The lemon butter sauce is something you really want to take full advantage of and savor every little bit that ends up on your plate – it’s that good! For this reason, adding something like Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes will ensure that you get to soak up all that goodness.
• Of course, if you end up with extra lemon butter sauce, keep it for pouring over pasta as a separate meal in the days to follow.
• Apart from the mashed potato, this Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan also pairs beautifully with any roasted vegetables (like these easy sheet pan Parmesan Roasted Carrots) for an all round wholesome and flavorful meal.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER CHICKEN BRYAN

• If you have any leftover Chicken Bryan, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• As a rule of thumb, you should never let cooked chicken sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours for food safety reasons.
• When you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers, place your chicken with remaining lemon butter sauce in a baking dish.  Cover it with aluminium foil to prevent it from drying out, and place it in a preheated oven at 350℉ until it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
• I love to pack up my leftovers for a yummy work lunch! These are my fav lunchboxes.

Other Copycat Recipes You’ll Love

Copycat Chipotle Chicken
Copycat Chick Fil A Nuggets
Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Nuggets

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5 from 13 votes

Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan

This Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan is a family favorite. The lemon butter sauce with fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes is truly amazing.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Serves:4

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Calories:455

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Ingredients

Marinade Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 lemon, juice from lemon about 1⁄4 cup
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste can also use minced garlic
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Lemon Butter Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste or minced garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tablespoons oil from the jar of herb-marinated sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Additional Ingredients

• 1/2 cup herb-marinated sun dried tomatoes
• 4 oz goat cheese
• Fresh basil

Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Squish around the chicken and marinade so that all the chicken is fully coated. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• After chicken has marinated, pre-heat grill on high heat for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and discard bag. Place chicken on grill and cook on each side for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Adjust grill heat while cooking to ensure that there is a little bit of char, but the meat does not burn or catch on fire.
• While chicken is grilling, prepare the lemon butter sauce. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic paste, basil, and tomato oil to the butter and saute for 1-2 minutes.
• Squeeze lemon juice into the butter mixture and whisk to combine. Reduce heat to low. Slowly drizzle heavy cream into the skillet while whisking. Continue cooking on low for 2-3 minutes until sauce is well emulsified and thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
• Plate one piece of grilled chicken. Spoon several tablespoons of sauce over the chicken. Top with a spoonful of sundried tomatoes and 1 oz. of goat cheese. Serve with additional sauce.

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Nutrition Information:

Calories: 455kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 12g (4%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 44g (68%)Saturated Fat: 23g (115%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 91mg (30%)Sodium: 340mg (14%)Potassium: 414mg (12%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 1538IU (31%)Vitamin C: 49mg (59%)Calcium: 89mg (9%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Disclaimer

Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Course:Dinner

Cuisine:chicken, copycat

Keyword:basil, cheese, lemon butter

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