Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio (Copycat)

6 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio with pesto pasta, Parmesan, crispy chicken and prosciutto for the perfect copycat meal with an authentic recipe!

Chicken Bellagio Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio (Copycat)

We’re going back to the Cheesecake Factory today! We’ve been big fans of copycat recipes from the Cheesecake Factory (you can see all the Cheesecake Factory copycats here) including my favorites, Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira and Cheesecake Factory Spicy Cashew Chicken.

This recipe is no exception. We make it often at home with all the parts of it except the prosciutto. We do love the prosciutto too but when its just for us and not guests all the other flavors combined still make up a crazy delicious dinner.

This dish has some steps to making it and a couple of mini recipes within the main recipe but the results are SPECTACULAR. The recipe comes from the Cheesecake Factory for most of the ingredients but the Parmesan Cream Sauce and the Basil Oil are my own recipes.

How do you make Basil Oil?

Blanche 1 cup of fresh basil leaves in ice water after boiling for one minute. Squeeze out the water and puree with ½ cup olive oil until smooth. Use within one week.

How do you make Parmesan Cream Sauce?

Add ¼ cup butter and flour to a pan and melt. Whisk well and cook for 30 seconds before slowly pouring in 1 cup of heavy cream. Add in 6 ounces of shaved Parmesan and whisk well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Crispy chicken and pancetta

What is the difference between prosciutto and bacon?

Bacon is made by brining then smoking pork belly. Prosciutto is made by curing with salt and pepper but no smoking. It is also rolled into a spiral to keep the shape.

What is in Chicken Bellagio?

Chicken Bellagio is a pasta dish mixed with a basil oil sauce, Parmesan cream sauce, crispy chicken, prosciutto and arugula finished with a bit of lemon juice. It’s creamy, herby, full of delicious, fresh flavors, and a perfect bowl of comfort food.

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio

Tools used in the making of this Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio:
Small food processor: perfect for small sauces when a bigger one would require more ingredients.
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chicken without damaging the skin and its super easy. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.
Chicken Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.

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Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio (Copycat)

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Bellagio with delicious pesto pasta, Parmesan shavings, crispy chicken and prosciutto on top for the perfect copycat meal with an authentic recipe!
Yield 6 Servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

CHICKEN:

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 ounces shaved parmesan
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

BASIL OIL:

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

TO FINISH THE DISH:

  • 1/2 cup basil oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 ounces shaved Parmesan
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges
  • parsley optional

Instructions

CHICKEN:

  • Cook the pasta to one minute shy of the directions.
  • Place the chicken between two pieces of saran wrap.
  • Pound the chicken to a ¾ inch thickness with either a mallet or rolling pin.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken in flour, then beaten eggs, then breadcrumbs.
  • Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet or heavy pan on medium high heat.
  • Cook the chicken in the pan for 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown (as pictured).
  • Wipe out the oil and crumbs and leave skillet for finishing dish.

PARMESAN SAUCE:

  • Add the butter to the pan and let melt on medium heat.
  • Add the flour and whisk well, let cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add in the cream slowly while whisking.
  • Add in the Parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk until thickened.
  • Remove from heat for serving.

BASIL OIL:

  • Set a pot of water to boil and a large bowl of ice water to the side.
  • Blanche the basil for 1 minute then remove the basil to the ice water.
  • Remove from ice water and squeeze dry.
  • In a small food processor add the basil and oil and puree.
  • Use basil oil within a week (trust me you’ll want to put it on everything).

TO FINISH THE DISH:

  • Add ½ cup of basil oil, chicken broth and butter to the skillet and heat over medium heat.
  • Add the pasta back in along with the shaved Parmesan and toss to coat.
  • Plate with pasta, topped with cooked chicken, more Parmesan cheese (if desired), the cream sauce, more of the basil oil, a slice of the prosciutto rolled up and arugula leaves to top.
  • Squeeze a wedge of lemon over the plate and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 1283kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 85g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 1301mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1575IU | Vitamin C: 12.8mg | Calcium: 520mg | Iron: 3.7mg
Chicken Bellagio
chicken bellagio with crispy chicken

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

    1. Hi Chris,
      We didn’t include a note in the list of ingredients! You’re right. We only included it in the instruction on how…

      TO FINISH THE DISH:
      Add ½ cup of basil oil, chicken broth and butter to the skillet and heat over medium heat.
      Add the pasta back in along with the shaved Parmesan and toss to coat.
      Plate with pasta, topped with cooked chicken, more Parmesan cheese (if desired), the cream sauce, more of the basil oil, a slice of the prosciutto rolled up and arugula leaves to top.
      Squeeze a wedge of lemon over the plate and serve.

  1. I also know how to make a cream sauce and this was way, way too much flour to thicken 1 cup of cream!! A big paste mess is what it was!! Half the flour and butter at most to begin this roux is more like it!
    And by the way I weight all my ingredients on a scale for accuracy.

  2. I have been having such intense cravings with my pregnancy and today it was the chicken bellagio from Cheesecake Factory, I’m a creature of habit and it’s what I get every time we go! The only issue is we just moved states and the closest Cheesecake Factory to our new house is 2hrs away which with gas prices now just wasn’t worth sending my husband out to get! My cravings were so intense I was crying my eyes out until I came across this recipe! We had to hit 3 different grocery stores and Spent 1hr in the kitchen but it was sooooooooo worth it!! Tastes exactly like the Cheesecake Factory’s and I am now one happy satisfied mama!

  3. Recipe is spot on. I’ll love the cheesecake factory. I was surprised to find this recipe so easy to follow. It tastes just like theirs! Instead of per Sketo I use some very crispy bacon and I don’t like arugula so we just left that off. Amazing!

  4. You don’t even have arugula or prosciutto on the ingredient list… maybe you should try this recipe again and redo it correctly.

  5. I followed this recipe to the T. Cream sauce turned out like paste, and I know how to make cream sauce. It calls for parsley I. The ingredients, not the arugula you mention I. The directions. Try this recipe again for yourself

  6. By shaved parmesan do you mean shaved right then and there off the block into the pan? Or are those tubs of pre shaved parmesan from the market fine to toss into the pan?

    1. Did you use pre grated cheese? Most bags contain a coating on the cheese and it get like a blob when making a sauce.

  7. Home run! This is the best dish in the entire world!!!! Wow. I doubled the recipe and my guest were blown away. Thank you so much for sharing your passion!

    1. That’s awesome to hear!! I love when it’s a hit for a dinner party 🙂 Thanks for letting me know and making my day.

  8. I actually really liked the recipe. Very delicious. I love cooking from scratch and knowing all the ingredients used in my meals.

  9. Is the amount of Parmesan in the sauce correct? I used 6 oz like it says and it’s a thick gloopy mess. Maybe 2 oz?

    1. The amount is correct. I’m thinking that you cooked down the liquid too much before adding the cheese which caused it to not melt properly. Hope this helps for next time.

    2. You need to add broth the consistency is off it’s a very confusing recipe. I made the parmesan sauce and it was clumpy. I added broth and it worked

  10. I LOVE this item from Cheesecake Factory! Thank you for breaking down how to make the basil oil and Parmesan cream sauce! I do think you were confusing prosciutto, which is more like ham, with pancetta, which is like bacon that is not smoked and rolled. 🙂

    1. I actually forget what brand I used (might have been on sale at the grocery store). You can use whatever brand you prefer. 🙂

  11. When do you add the Parmesan Cream Sauce into the dish? I see where you add additional sauce at the end, but not sure where to add it otherwise. Thank you!

    1. Thanks for catching that! You’ll want to just add it at the end when you’re plating it to serve. Hope you enjoy it!

  12. The Chicken Bellagio is my fave from Cheesecake Factory. I especially like their pesto sauce! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!

  13. Looks interesting, I’m willing to give it a try (I’ve never had it at the cheesecake factory cos there’s none around her, so I can’t compare)
    Note: Pancetta is cured pork belly, prosciutto is cured pork leg

  14. It looks absolutely delicious and decadent!! Looking forward to trying this recipe. Question: Are you using pancetta (which is usually rolled, salt-cured, unsmoked pork that requires cooking) or prosciutto (cured pork/ham that does NOT require cooking)?

    1. Thank you so much for catching that! I just edited to show correctly now but yes, I’m using prosciutto not pancetta. I’ve got to have more coffee while editing, lol!!

  15. Wow what a great dinner recipe. It does truly look sensational. I wish I could have had something similar like this tonight!

  16. This is my go to dish when I am at The Cheesecake Factory. I am so excited to try and make it at home now. It looks delicious.