Crispy Chicken Fritta (Olive Garden Copycat) (2024)

Nothing says comfort-food quite like pasta with chicken. This crispy chicken fritta recipe not only delivers BIG on comfort, but on flavor as well.

Chicken fritta’s popularity stretched ACROSS the country when Olive Garden, added it to their menu. Chicken fritta is chicken breasts that are coated in breadcrumbs and parmesan, and fried in oil.

If you love copycat recipes, you might want to try this Black Pepper Angus Steak next. This Tuscan Chicken is also a reader favorite.

You might also like this Chicken Paillard.

Why You're Going to Love Chicken Fritta

This crispy chicken fritta includes the addition of asiago cheese to the finishing sauce. The combination of both parmesan and asiago cheese is brilliant.

We pair this crispy chicken fritta olive garden copycat recipe with fettuccine pasta (or gluten free pasta) and steamed broccoli, and it works beautifully together.

The broccoli provides that much needed freshness only steamed veggies can provide, and the fettuccine is the perfect texture next to parmesan crusted chicken and its crunchiness.

If you prefer a different vegetable other than broccoli, feel free to substitute it for whatever you like!

If you love Italian food as much as we do, check out some of these Italian keto recipes, like keto chicken parmesan and keto lasagna.

Chicken Fritta Recipe

We like to offer low carb and gluten free options, when possible.

You can substitute the fettuccine for zucchini noodles which can be found in most grocery stores. I’ve also found low-carb pasta made from shirataki, peas, and lupini beans online and in stores.

A great substitute for the bread crumbs in chicken fritta is pork rind crumbs. This is a technique we developed in our keto fried chicken.

In this same recipe we use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour, and that can be swapped out here as well.

Everything else is already low-carb friendly so there is no substitute for taste.

You can also use gluten free noodles and gluten free breadcrumbs.

Chicken Fritta Ingredients

Fettuccini: The pasta adds so much of the comfort of this dish. You can use any pasta you like, but we loved the pairing of fettuccine with the crispy chicken.

For the Chicken Fritta

Chicken Breasts: We choose chicken breasts for this recipe as it’s traditional and cooks more evenly once it's butterflied.

Bread Crumbs: Bread crumbs crisp up really nicely in the oil and give it that beautiful coating that makes the chicken so delicious and tender inside.

All-purpose Flour: The flour in the dredge helps create a crispier texture.

Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan adds texture to the crust as well as its distinct salty flavor.

Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a must! The blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram is ICONIC!

Heavy Cream or Whole Milk: This ingredient is part of the dredge. In this dredge, you dip the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, then into the milk/cream mixture, and back into the crumb mixture a second time.

Then, you repeat a third time. This will give you the extra crunchy coating that we are looking for.

Avocado Oil: This is our preferred oil of choice, but you are welcome to use another high temperature oil for frying.

For the Sauce

Butter: Butter adds creaminess and acts as an emulsifier, which thickens the sauce.

Heavy Cream: This adds more fat to the sauce, making it creamy and velvety.

Garlic: Garlic and Italian food go together like two peas in a pod. The sauce is the perfect place to allow the garlic to shine.

Italian Seasoning: We include Italian seasoning in two areas of the recipe to ensure the flavor comes through.

Salt: The salt will help elevate all the flavors in the sauce and balance everything out.

Pepper: We love using fresh cracked pepper, but anything you have will work great!

Asiago Cheese: Asiago cheese works SO well with parmesan because it is similar in flavor, but it’s a little bit nuttier and creamier, which makes it great for adding to cheesy sauces.

If you have any questions about this chicken fritta recipe, please leave a comment below and we will get back to you.

How To Make Chicken Fritta

For the chicken fritta:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.

Add the breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan cheese, and the Italian seasoning to a large shallow bowl, or pie pan, and stir well.

Add the heavy cream (or whole milk) to a separate large shallow bowl, or pie pan.

Place one of the chicken breasts into the heavy cream, coating both sides, then into the bread crumb mixture a second time, coating both sides. Repeat one more time, for a total of three times.

Repeat until all four pieces of chicken are coated.

Heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken breasts in the oil.

Fry the chicken until they start to brown, then flip them over, continue until both sides are browned and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Remove the chicken from the oil, and allow it to cool on a cooling rack set over paper towels.

For the sauce:

1. Add the butter and cream to a separate large skillet.Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.
2. Whisk in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper for one minute.
3. Whisk in the asiago cheese until melted.
4. Add the sauce to the cooked pasta, and mix until the pasta is well coated.

Serve chicken fritta over pasta with a side of green vegetables. We love it with steamed broccoli.

For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.

Storage Tips for Chicken Fritta

Chicken fritta can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.

You can warm it back up in the oven, microwave, or frying pan. Let it thaw for 10 minutes at room temperature for each method.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place it on a sheet pan and cover it with tin foil.

Cook for 20-25 minutes and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Microwave: Place the chicken on a plate with a paper towel and warm for 1 minute. Cook it at 30 second increments if not warmed through completely, and let it sit for a couple minutes before enjoying!

Frying pan: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat until completely warmed through. Flip over every couple of minutes.

Let it cool on a paper-towel lined plate for a few minutes before serving.

Check out our list of 21 Delicious Chicken Recipes that fit every palate.

Looking for dessert ideas to go with this crispy chicken fritta? Try this strawberry ice cream recipe or our Italian hangover cake.

Did you make this chicken fritta recipe? Please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought!