Now you can enjoy the irresistible flavors of Carraba’s Chicken Bryan at home with this easy, one-pot copycat recipe! Simply sear chicken breasts, whisk up a lemon-garlic butter sauce, and serve with melted goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes- all ready in under 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
I’m a fan of Carrabba’s Grill! And if you had told me there was a chicken dish at Carrabba’s that was BETTER than their pasta, lasagna, or other wheat-laden dish I would have never believed you…
I had to taste this oh-so-famous Chicken Bryan for myself- and taste it, I did. Well, actually- DEVOURED it would be a better descriptor.
Ingredients
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, you can jump to the recipe.
- Oil. Both avocado oil and olive oil work due to their mild flavor and relatively high smoke point.
- Chicken. For the most authentic dish, stick with boneless skinless breasts. Be sure to pound them until their no more than 1-inch thick, then slice into 5 pieces.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Grab a jar of these near the canned vegetables in the grocery store! You can get pre-cut in a julienne style, or you can cut whole sundried tomatoes yourself. Don’t skip these, they’re my favorite part.
- Goat cheese. A log of plain goat cheese is needed for this recipe. Stear clear of flavored cheeses, or it will affect the end result.
- Other ingredients. Salt, black pepper, butter, white or yellow onion, minced garlic, broth, fresh lemon juice, and fresh basil round out this dish.
How to Make Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
Jump to the recipe for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
- Sear the chicken. Be sure to take a few minutes to pound the breasts with a meat mallet until it is 1-inch thick. Cover it in plastic wrap or place it in a bag before pounding to stay cleaner. Add the oil to a large skillet and set the stove to medium high heat. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, carefully set the chicken in a single layer across the bottom of the pan. Cook the breasts for 7 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. It should be nearly fully cooked but seared on each side. Set the chicken on a plate to the side.
- Sauté the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium, then add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot. Stir in the garlic and onion into the melted butter. Sauté for 2 minutes, just until the onion is tender.
- Make the lemon butter sauce. Pour the broth and the lemon juice into the pot. Whisk well, being sure to scrape any burned-on bits on the bottom of the skillet. Allow the mixture to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be reduced by half in about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add butter and sun-dried tomatoes. Once it’s reduced, turn the heat to low. Slowly stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Finally, mix in salt and the drained sun-dried tomatoes.
- Finish the dish. Place the pieces of chicken back into the skillet with the sauce, then top each breast with equal amounts of goat cheese. Cover the skillet and let everything simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and the meat is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165℉ on a meat thermometer.
- Serve the chicken. Pour the creamy lemon butter sauce over the copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe before serving, then sprinkle with fresh basil leaves that have been finely chopped.
FAQs
Chicken Bryan is a dish made famous at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. The owner dedicated it to his grandfather and named it after Bryan, Texas, where the Carrabba family originally settled after coming from Italy.
What to Serve with Chicken Bryan?
Add a side dish to this easy recipe for a complete (and delicious) meal!
Green veggies, like Air Fryer Broccoli, Chinese Green Beans, or Roasted Asparagus all go well with this recipe.
Or, choose Duchess Potatoes, Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes, or Hasselback Sweet Potatoes.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
You can do just about anything with this protein! Put any of these recipes to the test soon.
If you love restaurant copycats, try Olive Garden Chicken Marsala, General Tso’s Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, or Chipotle Chicken.
Or, go with Glazed Balsamic Chicken, Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast, Thai Chicken Wings, Sheet Pan Chicken and Asparagus, Greek Chicken Kebabs, Balsamic Grilled Chicken, or Baked BBQ Chicken Breast.
Warm up with Chicken and Dumpling Soup.
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Chicken Bryan (Carrabba’s Copycat Recipe)
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil avocado or olive
- 1 ¼ pounds chicken breast pounded to 1-inch thick and cut into 5 pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup butter salted, divided
- ¼ cup sweet onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¾ cup chicken broth regular sodium
- ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 7 ounces sun-dried tomatoes julienned, drained
- ⅓ cup fresh basil chiffonade
- 4 ounces goat cheese log
Instructions
- Sear Chicken: Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper over all of the breasts. Once the oil is heated, place the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 7–8 minutes, flipping halfway through. You want the chicken to almost be fully cooked and seared on both sides. Remove the chicken and place on a plate until ready to use.2 tablespoon oil, 1 ¼ pounds chicken breast, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Saute Vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add garlic and onion. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the onion is tender.½ cup butter, ¼ cup sweet onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Make Lemon Butter Sauce: Pour in the broth and lemon juice. Whisk well to scrape up any bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Once reduced, turn the heat to low and add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time. Stir well after each addition. Mix in ½ teaspoon salt and the drained sun-dried tomatoes.¾ cup chicken broth, ¼ cup lemon juice, 7 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
- Melt Goat Cheese: Place chicken back in the skillet and top each breast with equal amounts of the goat cheese. Cover skillet with a lid and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.4 ounces goat cheese log
- Mix basil into the sauce. Pour sauce over chicken for serving and sprinkle with additional fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!⅓ cup fresh basil
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Video
Notes
- Thickness. Be sure to pound the chicken until it is no more than 1-inch thick.
- Tomatoes. Grab a jar of julienne tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and drain them before using.
- Lemon. Whole lemons are the best thing for getting the most flavor.
- Prep-Ahead: This dish is best enjoyed fresh, but you can pound the chicken a day or two before.
- Storage: Place leftover chicken into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: If you’re going to freeze this dish, it’s best before adding the cheese. Tightly wrap or cover cooked chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: You can warm this dish back up in the oven or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Had this at a restaurant this past week and I had to make it home. Thank you for putting this into a recipe for me!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Karen! You’re so welcome. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Made this tonight. Husband said “you couldn’t get a better meal in a restaurant.” Thank you for sharing!
Woohoo!! That’s a HUGE win! Thanks so much for letting me know and for taking the time to leave a comment/rating, Sally! 🙂
This is SO flavorful holy moly! Meal prepped this for the week and I already can’t wait to have this for dinner again tomorrow!!
Yay, Warner! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe so much. Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂
Can I just say yummmm! This just became a family favorite and saved in our book of best recipes! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Yay!! So happy you and your family enjoyed it, Jamie. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Excellent recipe. The recommendations on the goat cheese, etc. are very helpful. My family stopped short of licking their plates.
So happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe, Kim! Thanks so much for your comment!
What do you eat this with? What sides are best?
Hi Missie! Your options are endless! I would try a few of the Roasted Broccoli or Cauliflower recipes on the site for a lighter side or some Baked Potato Wedges.
After reading Alison Kifer’s comment, I decided to make this without any added salt. None on the chicken or in the sauce, because my sundried tomatoes, chicken stock, goat cheese, and butter were all already salted. I put extra lemon just in case to tamper down the salt. And since I had no fresh basil, I used the dried leaves all over the chicken and chopped spinach into the sauce just to get that beautiful fresh green look. It turned out great! Very decadent.
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it and am happy the salt level came out to your preference. Thanks for your comment and rating!!
I made this yesterday and it was extremely salty. Couldnt eat it.. Cant figure out why. Double checked the recipe and my measurement tools and i was accurate
Not totally sure what happened either, Allison? My only guess is that the butter or goat cheese could have had an extra bit of salt that took it over the edge for you. Sorry for the saltiness!
This was amazing! We made it last week and have plans of making it again this week. Instead of butter we used coconut oil and it tasted amazing 🙂
Yay, Kelly!! So happy you enjoyed it. Coconut oil sounds incredible! Will definitely have to try that soon. Thanks for the comment and rating 🙂
This recipe was really good! Added spinach ravioli to it and it was perfect. Even my picky husband enjoyed it,
Yay!! So so happy you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the review and rating!