The first time I tried Chicken Bryan at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, I was immediately captivated by the combination of flavors. Sitting at the counter facing their open kitchen, I watched the chef expertly grill the chicken, then topped it with creamy goat cheese before drizzling it with that incredible lemon-basil butter sauce. With my first bite, I knew I had to learn how to recreate this dish at home. After numerous attempts and tweaks, I’ve finally perfected my copycat version that rivals the restaurant original – and now I’m sharing it with you!
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Next time you want a restaurant-style chicken dinner without leaving home, make this extraordinary copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe. It features tender chicken drenched in a lemon-basil wine sauce and topped with tangy goat cheese, creating an irresistible meal that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
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What Makes This Dish So Special?
It’s not any single component that makes Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan so exceptional, but rather the harmonious layering of flavors and textures. The perfectly grilled chicken provides a smoky foundation, while the tangy goat cheese adds creaminess and depth. The real magic, however, happens in the sauce – a delicate balance of white wine, fresh lemon juice, butter, and aromatic herbs.
At Carrabba’s, the open kitchen concept allows you to watch your food being prepared while inhaling its tempting aromas. With this recipe, you’ll bring that same sensory experience into your own kitchen, creating an impressive dish that looks and tastes like it came from a professional kitchen.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan recipe:
- Chicken breasts – The foundation of our dish that becomes tender and juicy when pounded thin and grilled
- Salt – Enhances all the flavors in the dish and helps season the chicken properly
- Black pepper – Adds a mild heat and complexity that complements the tangy sauce
- Extra virgin olive oil – Creates a beautiful sear on the chicken and adds a subtle fruity flavor
- Goat cheese – Provides a creamy, tangy counterpoint to the smoky chicken and bright sauce
- Butter – Creates the rich, velvety texture of the sauce and adds depth of flavor
- Dry white wine – Adds acidity and complexity to the sauce while helping to deglaze the pan
- Lemon juice – Brings brightness and citrus notes that cut through the richness of the butter and cheese
- Chopped white onions – Create a savory foundation for the sauce with their aromatic sweetness
- Chopped garlic – Adds a pungent depth that mellows as it cooks in the butter
- Fresh basil leaves – Contribute a herbaceous, slightly sweet note that’s essential to the dish’s signature flavor
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Add a concentrated umami sweetness and beautiful color contrast
For a non-alcoholic option, substitute the white wine with chicken broth.
How to make Chicken Bryan
Here are the simple steps for making Carrabba’s Copycat Chicken Bryan recipe:
- Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound it to make it thin. Pat dry.
- Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill chicken for 3-4 mins on each side until cooked. Place it on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Slice and shape goat cheese into disks, which you can later place on each chicken piece.
- Saute onions and garlic in butter over medium heat until fragrant. Add wine and lemon juice. Reduce heat to simmer and reduce the liquid by half. Add three tablespoons of cold butter and whisk until melted.
- Turn off the burner, add the remaining butter, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Strain sauce to remove onions and garlic, return to pan, add half of the basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Place chicken breast on a plate, top with goat cheese and sauce, and sprinkle the remaining basil over it.
What to serve this dish with
Just like at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, you can serve this terrific dish with sides like sauteed spinach, grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes, or parmesan truffle fries! I also enjoy this with a simple side salad or Caesar salad when I want something lighter to accompany it.
Carrabbas Chicken Bryan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (4 portions)
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 8 tablespoons butter divided use
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons basil thinly sliced
- 8 ounces goat cheese sliced into 4 disks
Instructions
- Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and pound until thin. Remove the chicken from the plastic wrap and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.
- Grill the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
- Sauté the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and lemon juice and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir gently until reduced by half. Add 3 tablespoons of cold butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
- Pour the sauce through a strainer to remove the onions and garlic. Return the sauce to the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and half of the basil and stir.
- Place each chicken breast on a plate. Place a piece of goat cheese on the chicken and then spoon the sauce over the chicken. Top each chicken breast with the remaining basil.
Video
Nutrition
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Make-Ahead Components: The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and gently reheated. Just wait to add the fresh basil until serving time.
- Refrigeration: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating: For best results, place the chicken in a baking dish, cover with foil (to prevent drying), and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through (about 10-15 minutes). If the sauce has separated, gently whisk it back together while warming it separately.
Love Carrabbas? Check out these copycat recipes!
- Carrabbas Soups – Sausage Lentil
- Mussels Bianca
- Carrabba’s Dipping Sauce
More Italian food recipes
- Homemade Italian Sausage Recipe
- Canning Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Crab Fettuccine Alfredo
- Shrimp Pasta with White Wine Sauce
- Red Lobster’s Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Chicken Romano Pasta Recipe
- Pasta with Artichoke Hears and Capers
- How to Make Alfredo Sauce Creamy
- Uno’s Pizza
Check out more of my restaurant copycat recipes and easy homemade Italian food.
There’s something magical about recreating restaurant favorites at home. Not only do you save money, but you also gain the satisfaction of mastering a beloved dish in your kitchen. This Chicken Bryan recipe delivers all the rich flavors and impressive presentation of Carrabba’s signature dish but with the comfort and convenience of home cooking. Whether preparing a special date night dinner or wanting to elevate your weeknight meal rotation, this recipe proves that restaurant-quality food is achievable in your kitchen. With its perfect balance of tangy, buttery, herbaceous, and savory elements, this dish will quickly become a favorite in your recipe collection.
Can you please tell me if you used oil-packed sun dried tomatoes or the dry form?
I used the oil packed for this recipe.
I was very good, but next time I will use less butter.
Thanks for letting me know.
HOLY GOAT CHEESE! I feel like a uber chef now! Cooked this for my girlfriend and she went goat sh**, if there is such a thing! Will always use this particular recipe! Thanks so so so so much !
Well I am happy to hear that she went goat sh**. It’s a great recipe, I am glad it worked out well for you.
Just made it and it was delicious, tasted just like the restaurants except mine was pan fried haha! Making it again tonight since I don’t want the goat cheese to go to waste.
I hope you enjoyed it, I love goat cheese. This is a great recipe.
Made this tonight…delicious! I will definitely be making it again. The only thing that would have made it better would be a wood fire grill in my kitchen for the chicken. In lieu of that, it was amazingly close to the real deal!
Well most of us don’t have a wood fired grill in our kitchen, we can all dream. I am glad you thought the recipe was very close!
Made this sauce last night for my hubby and he LOVED it! But, he had Filet Bryan!
This sauce would be great over some pasta!
Hubby says this is better than Carraba’s! Making tonight for his birthday dinner this is his favorite!
I hope your husband had a lovely birthday!
Thank you Stephanie he did! Love your page! We live in the Houston area too moved from Michigan.
You know I lived in Michigan for a short time. Beautiful state.
wow that’s awesome where about? We lived in between Detroit and Ann Arbor I really miss the 4 seasons and the snow at Christmas. I like all the fun things to do in Houston though and all the good restaurants 🙂
I lived in Eau Claire. I worked at Whirlpool in Benton Harbor. If I ever win the lottery, I want to buy a summer place there.
oh wow bet you went to lake MI a lot the east side of the state is beautiful! We hope to move back but I get to visit my family a couple times a year always love going back. thanks again for the recipe made this again tonight! Merry Christmas!
I’m not fond of goat cheese. What is a substitute for that?
Thanks
Not really sure on this one, for me goat cheese is what makes this dish. I would add what ever cheese you would like. I don’t think cheddar would work. Maybe something like a dollop of cream cheese.
can i substitute the white wine for something else, since I don’t have it?
You could try chicken broth as a substitute.
You could try substituting it for chicken broth.
This is a yummy recipe. Love the Quick preparation. The simple seasoning made the chicken flavor come out on the grill. As far as the pan sauce, totally worth it! Take the time to make the sauce. I normally make the chicken in the pan and then make a pan sauce with lemon and capers. Additions to the recipe, I used 1/2c. of onion. Then rather than 2t. garlic, I used 3 cloves minced. Added a little olive oil to the butter also. I reduced the sauce too far ( had duties at the grill). So added 1/3c of wine and 1T lemon. And a sprinkle of chicken Maggi. Then when I stained the sauce I pressed the juice through the strainer. Use a good goat cheese. Love the flavor combination. Don’t forget the mashed potatoes.
I can’t open on my EVO & I HAVE TO HAVE this recipe,,,,,,,PLEASE !!!! 😉
I can’t open on my EVO & I HAVE TO HAVE this recipe,,,,,,,PLEASE !!!! 😉
Where can I get more of Carrabbas Recipes?
Likewise, I cannot see the recipe on my android phone. I have other ways to connect to the internet, but my recipe app is on my phone and it contains a handy portable shopping list. So being able to see and copy recipes directly on my phone would be helpful.
Yummy…Carrabba’s is one of my favorite restaurants, and I LOVE this dish! Saving to make very soon!!
I wonder if the recipe would be pretty much the same for the Filet Bryan… Minus pounding out the beef filet. I love the Filet Bryan… can’t wait to try it!
My guess is that yes, it would work well.
I turned my phone off to reboot to see if that would help, it didn’t. I also deleted the mobile book mark that didn’t help either. I’m all out of ideas. HELP!!!!! I love this site.
Pam, I will email you the recipe.
I can’t see this recipe on my iPhone & I can’t switch to regular theme.
Is your iPhone the only way you connect to the internet?
Can’t see the recipe on my blackberry
Where can I view the recipe?
What are you using to view the site.
My iPhone. I’ve been waiting to make this for forever. I love Carrabbas.
If you switch your view to regular theme you can see it, I am still trying to work out the bugs between a new format and smart phone displays.
Now it’s working. Thank you.
I tried switching several times, it stays with the mobile theme