Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan is one of their most iconic chicken dishes and it’s surprisingly easy to recreate at home! Tender seasoned chicken is topped with creamy goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, then finished with a rich lemon butter sauce. Carrabba’s cooks their chicken over a wood-fired grill, but my easy oven method for this copycat recipe gives you juicy chicken without having to fire up the grill!
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Recipe at a Glance
Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
Tender Italian-seasoned chicken topped with creamy goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, all finished with a buttery lemon-garlic sauce.
Total time: About 30 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Best for: Date night, Sunday dinner & restaurant-style dinners at home
Best Tip: Butterfly large chicken breasts and cut them in half so you have four evenly sized pieces that cook quickly and stay juicy.
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan looks fancy when it hits the table, but it’s really all about combining a few very specific flavors. Carrabba’s describes the original as wood-grilled chicken topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and lemon butter sauce.
- Goat cheese is a MUST – Don’t swap in mozzarella just because it’s easier! The creamy, tangy goat cheese is one of the flavors that makes Chicken Bryan so distinctive.
- If goat cheese is a little too tangy for you – you could use Boursin, cream cheese or feta.
- Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes – I like julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. They’re softer and more flavorful than the dry-packed variety and there’s no chopping needed.
- Fresh basil, not dried – We’re using dried Italian seasoning on the chicken, but fresh basil for the topping. It adds a completely different pop of flavor and freshness to the dish.
- It’s all about the lemon butter sauce – Garlic, onion, lemon and white wine simmer with clarified butter before cold butter is swirled in at the end. That last bit of butter helps create a smooth, silky sauce rather than just melted butter on your plate.
- Carrabba’s grills it, I bake it – Carrabba’s cooks their Chicken Bryan over a wood-fired grill. You can absolutely do grilled chicken breast at home, but I find baking it easier and more foolproof for a weeknight dinner.
Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan Ingredients
There are a few components to Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan, but nothing here is difficult to find. You’ll season and cook the chicken, add those signature toppings and then bring everything together with that luscious lemon butter sauce.
- Chicken breasts – I use two large chicken breasts, butterfly them and slice them into four thinner pieces. You could also start with four smaller chicken breasts.
- Italian seasoning – Adds oregano, basil and other Italian herbs to the chicken.
- Salt, pepper & garlic seasoning (SPG) – My easy all-purpose seasoning for the chicken. If you don’t have an SPG blend, season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder separately.
- Olive oil – Just enough to lightly coat the chicken and help the seasonings stick.
- Goat cheese – You’ll need a 4-ounce goat cheese log. Slice it into rounds and place them on the hot chicken so they soften slightly without completely melting.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Use julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Drain off the excess oil before adding them to the chicken.
- Fresh basil – Roughly chopped basil adds freshness and color right before serving.
For the Carrabba’s Lemon Butter Sauce
- Butter – You’ll start with six tablespoons to make clarified butter and finish the sauce with another two tablespoons of cold butter.
- Yellow onion – Chop it very finely so it almost disappears into the finished sauce.
- Garlic – Fresh finely chopped garlic gives the sauce tons of savory flavor.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice cuts through the richness of the butter and goat cheese.
- Dry white wine – Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio both work well. You only need two tablespoons, so this isn’t the time to open anything expensive!
- You could substitute chicken broth as well. I’m not a wine drinker – but I always have mini-bottles on hand for cooking.
- Kosher salt & white pepper – Just a pinch of each finishes the sauce without adding visible specks of black pepper.
How to Make Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
There are a few moving parts here, but they all come together pretty quickly. Start the chicken first, then make your lemon butter sauce while it bakes.
- PREHEAT the oven to 375ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- BUTTERFLY each large chicken breast, then slice it into two pieces so you have four pieces of chicken with a fairly even thickness.
- SEASON the chicken liberally with Italian seasoning and SPG seasoning. Spritz or drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- BAKE for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155ºF. Remove from the oven, cover loosely and allow it to rest. The temperature will continue to rise as the chicken rests.
- CLARIFY THE BUTTER while the chicken cooks. Melt 6 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for several minutes so the milk solids settle to the bottom. Carefully skim or pour the clear butter from the top, leaving the sediment behind. (It doesn’t have to be perfect!)
- SAUTÉ the finely chopped onion and garlic in the clarified butter until soft and translucent.
- ADD the fresh lemon juice, white wine, kosher salt and white pepper. Stir & simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.
- FINISH THE SAUCE by removing the pan from the heat and swirling in 2 tablespoons of cold butter until the sauce is smooth and emulsified.
- TOP the warm chicken with slices of goat cheese while it rests. The heat from the chicken will soften the cheese.
- PLATE the chicken and top with sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of fresh basil. Spoon the warm lemon butter sauce around and over the chicken and serve immediately.
What Is Chicken Bryan?
Chicken Bryan is one of Carrabba’s signature dishes. The restaurant serves wood-grilled chicken topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and lemon butter sauce.
And despite the Italian flavors, Bryan isn’t an Italian word or cooking technique!
Carrabba’s Italian Grill founder Johnny Carrabba created the dish to honor his grandfather. The Carrabba family immigrated from Sicily and eventually settled in the town of Bryan, Texas, and Johnny named Chicken Bryan in his grandfather’s honor.
So basically, it’s an Italian-American chicken dish with a little Texas family history tucked underneath all that goat cheese and butter.
Can I Grill Chicken Bryan Like Carrabba’s?
Absolutely! In fact, grilling will get you even closer to Carrabba’s because the restaurant cooks Chicken Bryan over a wood-fired grill.
Season the chicken exactly as directed, then grill it over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add the goat cheese after removing the chicken from the grill, then finish with the sun-dried tomatoes, basil and lemon butter sauce.
I use the oven because it’s easy, hands-off and I can make Chicken Bryan year-round without caring what Mother Nature is doing outside!
What to Serve with Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
Chicken Bryan is rich from the goat cheese and lemon butter sauce, so I like serving it with fairly simple sides.
Pasta is an obvious choice because it gives you something else to drag through that lemon butter sauce. Roasted or steamed broccoli, asparagus or green beans are great if you want something lighter.
You could also serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes or rice to soak up every last drop of sauce.
And if you’re going full Carrabba’s night at home, start dinner with my Carrabba’s Bread Dipping Oil and warm Italian bread! Add a bowl of their Spicy Sicilian Chicken Soup for even more Carrabba’s Night In fun!
Supplies Used
You don’t need anything unusual to make Chicken Bryan, but a few basics make the different components easier:
- Rimmed baking sheet – Gives the chicken plenty of room to cook evenly.
- Parchment paper – Makes cleanup ridiculously easy.
- Instant-read meat thermometer – Especially helpful with thinner chicken breasts so you don’t overcook them.
- Small saucepan – You’ll use this for the lemon butter sauce.
- Glass measuring cup – Handy when you’re clarifying the butter because you can easily see the milk solids settle to the bottom.
Storage & Reheating
Store Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
For the best results, store any extra lemon butter sauce separately from the chicken. Reheat the chicken gently in the microwave or covered in a low oven just until warmed through. Overheating chicken breast is the express lane to Dry Chicken City.
Warm the lemon butter sauce gently over low heat. Because it’s an emulsified butter sauce, high heat can cause it to separate.
I don’t recommend freezing the fully assembled Chicken Bryan. The chicken itself freezes fine, but the goat cheese, fresh basil and butter sauce are all much better fresh.
More Italian Chicken Recipes
Carrabba’s Recipes
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Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts 1 lb
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp spg (salt pepper garlic)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz goat cheese log
- 4 oz sun dried tomatoes julienne, in-oil
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp dry white wine chardonnay or pinot Grigio
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch white pepper
- 2 tbsp cold butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º and prepare rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. (You can grill the chicken as they do at Carrabba’s but oven is just easier for me.)2 large chicken breasts
- Butterfly large chicken breasts and slice each into two slices chicken so you’ll have 4 chicken breasts of a more even thickness (or use 4 small chicken breasts).
- Season chicken breasts liberally with Italian seasoning, SPG (salt, pepper, garlic) and a spritz or sprinkle of olive oil.1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp spg (salt pepper garlic), 1 tbsp olive oil
- Place in oven and bake for 20 min until temp is 155º. Remove from oven. Cover and rest until ready to plate.
- While chicken bakes, clarify 6 tbsp butter. Melt butter over low heat. When melted, remove from heat and pour in small bowl or glass measuring cup. Set aside for several minutes to allow the milk solids to settle to the bottom. Skim the clear (clarified) butter from the top, and discard sediment.6 tbsp butter
- When there’s about 5 min left on the chicken, in a small sauce pan, add clarified butter, onion and garlic. Saute until transparent.2 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion, 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- Add lemon juice, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes to reduce liquid.1 lemon, 2 tbsp dry white wine, Pinch kosher salt, Pinch white pepper
- Remove from heat and swirl in remaining 2 tbsp cold butter until sauce is smooth and emulsified.2 tbsp cold butter
- While chicken rests, add goat cheese slices to top so it can melt slightly.4 oz goat cheese log
- Plate chicken with goat cheese and top with sun dried tomato slices and fresh basil. Pour lemon butter sauce around chicken breast and serve.4 oz sun dried tomatoes, 4-5 fresh basil leaves
