Chicken Bellagio Cheesecake Factory Copycat Recipe

5 stars from 2 reviews

Chicken Bellagio features crispy pan-fried chicken breasts atop a mound of tender pasta tossed in homemade pesto cream sauce.

Servings: people

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 small or 2 large chicken breasts)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying
8 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk Half and Half, or heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pesto
6 slices prosciutto
1 cup arugula use a heaping cupful
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh flat leaf parsley and/or fresh basil, for garnish

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound out to ½” thick.
Prepare dredging station: In one bowl, combine ½ cup flour and salt and pepper. In a second bowl, combine egg and milk. In a third bowl, spread the bread crumbs.
Dip each piece of chicken into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then coat with the bread crumbs.
Fill a large skillet with about ½ inch of oil. Heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on each side, reducing heat if needed to ensure the chicken cooks all the way through without burning.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti noodles in a pot of salted, boiling water; follow the instructions on the box to cook to al dente (or desired doneness.) Drain.
To make the basil cream sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the saucepan and brown. Whisk in the milk or cream until smoothm then whisk in the parmesan cheese and pesto; stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and toss with the spaghetti noodles, reserving a bit of the sauce to drizzle over the plated dish if you wish.
Mound noodles on a serving platter. Place the cooked chicken over the noodles. Gently fold the prosciutto slices into mounds over the top of the chicken. Toss arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Mound over the prosciutto. Top with a bit of extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and/or basil

If possible, time your cooking so that the sauce and pasta are done at about the same time so that you can toss the pasta immediately and it doesn’t stick together. If the pasta is cooked in advance, toss with some olive oil while waiting for the sauce to finish.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
We made a pesto cream sauce with basic staples. You can make the sauce thinner by reducing the flour to 1 tablespoon and/or increasing the amount of milk/cream.