Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Chicken and Penne Pasta
Recently, my husband and I went out on a date. We left our 4 kids home with a $5 pizza. Is there a better, more freeing feeling in the world? We wandered a bookstore, actually had a conversation and shared dinner at Olive Garden.
I ordered Smoked Mozzarella Chicken. It was delicious and I knew the kids would love it too, but the cost for 6 of us to eat at Olive Garden? No way. My meal was part of a 3-course special, which included salad and a tiny dessert. The cost was $12.95. Times that by 6 = Too much!
So I set about recreating this at home. I was able to make this recipe for well under $2 per serving.
Before we get to the recipe, I do want to be honest about the Smoked Mozzarella. I could not find any. I checked two stores, including Kroger, which has a nice selection of specialty cheeses. If you can find it, Smoked Mozzarella will make the dish taste much more like Olive Garden's. I decided to substitute Smoked Provolone slices. It's affordable and easily available. It doesn't pack quite the smokey punch that the specialty cheese does, but it is a good substitute.
Here's what you'll need to make this copy-cat recipe. You'll also need white wine and butter, which didn't make it into the photo.
Chicken and Marinade Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
- 3 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2-3 Tbs. olive oil for cooking chicken
Pasta Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups half & half, warmed
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 3-4 slices smoked provolone, cut in thin strips or 1/2 cup shredded Smoked Mozzarella
- salt and pepper to taste
- flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
Directions:
- Marinate the chicken in lemon juice and garlic for an hour in the fridge.
- Heat water for pasta and cook pasta. While it cooks, do remaining steps of recipe.
- Heat 2-3 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook till done. Remove from pan.
- Add 3 Tbs. butter to same skillet. Cook garlic in butter 2-3 minutes. Add chopped red pepper. Cook several minutes till pepper is tender-crisp. Remove from pan.
- Whisk in wine, cooking a minute. Whisk in half & half.
- Stir in Parmesan and Asiago cheese. Turn heat down to simmer, stirring to let the cheese melt.
- Drain cooked pasta. Combine pasta with sauce and red peppers. Top with cooked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, Provolone or Smoked Mozzarella and parsley.
Serves 6-8 people.
The above is a guest post from Tiffany at Eat at Home.
Find MORE Recipes HERE
PrintOlive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Chicken and Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
- 3 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2–3 Tbs. olive oil for cooking chicken
Pasta Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups half & half, warmed
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 3–4 slices smoked provolone, cut in thin strips or 1/2 cup shredded Smoked Mozzarella
- salt and pepper to taste
- flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken in lemon juice and garlic for an hour in the fridge.
- Heat water for pasta and cook pasta. While it cooks, do remaining steps of recipe.
- Heat 2-3 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook till done. Remove from pan.
- Add 3 Tbs. butter to same skillet. Cook garlic in butter 2-3 minutes. Add chopped red pepper. Cook several minutes till pepper is tender-crisp. Remove from pan.
- Whisk in wine, cooking a minute. Whisk in half & half.
- Stir in Parmesan and Asiago cheese. Turn heat down to simmer, stirring to let the cheese melt.
- Drain cooked pasta. Combine pasta with sauce and red peppers. Top with cooked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, Provolone or Smoked Mozzarella and parsley.
Olive Garden Copycat Recipes
Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Fettucine and Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Olive Garden Zuppa Tuscano Soup Copycat Recipe
Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe
This looks delicious! Pasta is one of our favorite meals and so much more cost effective to make at home.
What kind of white wine???
Brittnie, any white wine will do. Something that you would drink is always the best type to cook with.
Your recipe seems much healthier, lighter and fresher than Olive’s. I like the smoked chicken but the dish was so greasy!!
I love this recipe. I had to modify it a bit because I couldn’t find the smoked mozz or the asiago but I added regular fresh mozz and provolone as well as fresh parm. So amazing! I made this for my new boyfriend and he thinks I’m some sort of amazing chef! I’ve never cooked with cooking wine before but it was delicious and easy to make. I will be making this again and again!
Highly recommend it!
Hello im really excited about trying this recipe but im not sure on how much pasta to cook.
Also can I use fresh lemon juice to marinate the chicken?
And last im not a wine drinker so I have no idea about what kind to look for. Can someone plese recommend a brand or something to guide me? Please
Thanks!
Cynthia, you could use fresh lemon juice for sure! And, I would search for a pinot noir or a riesling to cook with. Usually I just use whatever I have on hand. HTH!
so we have to buy the chicken and just to put the chicken into the lemon ? right
WHAT CAN I USE IN PLACE OF THE WINE FOR THIS RECIPE?
V, you could use chicken stock instead.
Hi,
How much pasta does it call for? You didnt say. Sounds great and looks easy enough to make :-)
Hi Erica! One box of penne should do!
Thank you!! Trying this out tonight! Sorry for the late reply! Will let you know how it turned out. I couldn’t find smoked anything..so I am using Mozzarella and Asiago -plain. Thanks for posting a much easier, healthier dish! :-)
I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella either, but realized that I had some liquid smoke that I add to barbecue sauce sometimes and tried mixing about 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon to my shredded mozzarella— it was the taste I was looking for to duplicate Olive Garden’s dish. Got rave reviews from everyone who tasted the above recipe.
I make this at home, too. We have smoked mozzarella here, but to save and for convenience I added some hickory smoke seasoning to the white sauce. Here’s my version:
Lois’s Olive Garden photo Smokey Mozzarella Chicken (I haven’t tried OG’s yet, just liked the picture)
In skillet cook chicken bite size pieces in some olive oil.
Add juliennedred peppers.
Meanwhile cook penne pasta.
Meanwhile make a white sauce (butter, flour, milk, bay leaf), add a small dash each white wine and hickory smoke flavoring.
Mix sauce with chicken, peppers, and pasta. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella Serve with a salad.
I make this all the time, my husband & daughter LOVE it, I find smoked mozerella @ meujer it is in a chest by the deli with other cheese!!!! It’s around $6 but worth it. If it molds a little between use just slice that section off and keep using. I do!!!
I love smoked mozzarella! I live in San Jose CA and you can find it at Whole Foods (in the deli and specialty cheese section), Safeway and Lucky (sometimes). It is also great (sliced) on sandwiches.
I found smoked mozzarella at Whole Foods. I’m trying this dish this weekend–it tasted great at the restaurant. I’m not a fan of asiago cheese though–it really is in it? Surprising that I liked it then!
I use regular mozarella with hickory smoked flavoring to save money and for convenience. Here’s my version. (I haven’t tasted OG’s yet, just got inspired by the ad.)
In skillet cook chicken bite size pieces in some olive oil.
Add red peppers.
Cook penne pasta.
Meanwhile make a white sauce (butter, flour, milk, bay leaf), when thickened add a small dash each white wine and hickory smoke flavoring.
Mix all together. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella
Serve with a salad. Definitely a restaurant quality meal for a lot less.
I just made this because my friend brought me this dish from Olive Garden and man it was impressive!
Thanks for this recipe! I made a few changes and used shrimp and crab for the meat since I had some still packaged in my freezer. The sauce didn’t come out smooth possibly because I had to use hard cheese and grate it for asaigio cheese & the mozarrella. I added a half tsp of liquid smoke for the flavor with just a bit of cornstarch.
It turned out great!! Thanks so much!!
You don’t need smoked mozzarella it liquid smoke in a bottle. You can usually find it in the spice isle.
I bought smoked mozzarella from Central Market, the flagship store of HEB in Texas.
I don’t mean any disrespect but for a family of 6 @ $12.95/per head for a 3 coarse meal really isn’t that expensive for family restaurant meal. I’ve heard that at Olive Garden the servers are limited to only 3 tables each, not to mention the unlimited bread/soup/salad they are responsible for preparing. There is always some promotion there “never ending pasta bowl” which translates to waiters doing 3 times as much work for the same tip, not to mention they can’t turn tables because American gluttony is to stay there stuffing your face for multiple hours until you box up you last serving and are rolled out the door. Or you get an “entree to take home” ?? I love it but I don’t really understand because regardless I would have still gone there for lunch and bought the same thing only this time I got twice the amount of food for the same price. I love me some OG but I feel bad for their employees. They should get paid a higher wage or people should be tipping 30% for the great service and deal they’re sure to receive
Ray, some people don’t have the extra money for their entire family to go out to eat. This is a great alternative for getting restaurant flavors at home to feed a large family. Plus, I personally want to know what’s going into my food and you can’t do that whatsoever with restaurant meals.
No disrespect, but this is a very out of touch comment. Spending 80 plus tip is just not feasable for a lot of people. Alot of people are using change to get gas to get to work, or selling their car and walking to pay rent if they are lucky enough to have a place to live. So for some, getting an amazing quality meal such as this is like the highlight of their week. I save money by not using wine, broth instead. I emit the smoked mozzarella and tomatoes and the basic flavor is still there. We love it.
So glad your family enjoyed this dish, Lacey!
I found it believe it or not in Sonora where I live lol it was at Safeway Marketplace. I almost missed it and the girl even stated they did not have it. However I thought with this mountain of exotic cheeses they must have it. WaLa, They only had three chunks to sale but I found it. Can’t wait to make it tonight!
Yes! Finally someone wrotes about olive garden nutrition.
I haven’t made this yet, but it seems to be missing a thickening ingredient. Flour or something else to pull/bind the butter, cream and cheese together.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made it last night and it was delicious! I did find smoked mozzarella at Walmart and Hy-Vee. I used ziti pasta. I thought that was what is used at Olive Garden, but the noodles were a bit large. Now I can make my favorite dish at home. Thanks!
Lisa, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for stopping by to comment :)
I am gonna try the smoked gouda cheese for the substitute mozzarella making this tonight for dinner
Hello!
I love the smoked mozzarella chicken at Olive Garden (I order it last Saturday)
I’ll try your recipe, but at OG, the chicken is very very tender, and with a little crust.
How can I do that?
Thanks!
Steve, you can always try to use panko crumbs to make a light crust. That always seems to work for me!
Whole Foods has smoked mozzarella
The smoke Mozzarella Chicken is now part of the Buy One, Take One promotion. It was delicious. Can I add a drop of liquid smoke to the sauce and use unsmoked Mozzarella Cheese for a yield of 6 servings?
Jim, go ahead and try it and let us know how it works out!
Smoke Mozzarella can be easily purchased via Amazon 3 lbs and save for future use!!!
Why would you use half and half instead of cream?
I know I am super late to the party, but smoked mozzarella chicken was my favorite Olive Garden dish. They no longer serve it and I am so excited to find this recipe! I also just found a guy in my area who smokes cheese and he is smoking mozzarella this month!
I have a question about the white wine though. I do not drink alcohol and try not to have it in my food. What would be a good substitute for the white wine?
Thank you so much for your time and for the recipe! I can’t wait to make this.
Apri, I would add broth instead of wine. Hope that helps!
Thanks Andrea. I love your site. It talks to everything I like. Olive Garden. Creamy sauces. Shrimp and chicken. Alternatives. Keeping costs down while keeping tastes and standards high. And the comments section is invaluable. Thanks to you all. Gonna be trying this recipe this weekend. Excited!
Margaret, thanks for stopping by! :)