Johnny Carino’s Gorgonzola Chicken

Johnny Carino’s Gorgonzola Chicken is tender chicken with creamy Gorgonzola cheese and mushroom sauce served over pasta. You can make it at home with this easy copycat recipe.

Homemade Johnny Carinos Gorgonzola Chicken and pasta on a plate


Gorgonzola Chicken Recipe

Johnny Carino’s Gorgonzola Chicken has been one of my most requested recipes in recent memory. When we went to the restaurant to do research for the recipe, it had just been removed from the menu. The folks at Johnny Carino’s were kind enough to prepare the dish anyway!

So you might ask yourself what is this Gorgonzola Chicken? It is a rich pasta dish with chicken, and a cream sauce made with Gorgonzola cheese and mushrooms. It’s topped with fresh chopped tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Gorgonzola sauce is actually a classic Italian sauce that many people have enjoyed. Thanks to the people at Johnny Carino’s, this sauce has been introduced to so many of us.

If you are looking for a sauce that is creamy like an Alfredo sauce this may be a wonderful sauce for you. This pasta sauce made with Gorgonzola cheese has a sophistication that is perfect for when you want something more.

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • Vegetable oil
  • Pasta
  • Half and half
  • Gorgonzola cheese
  • White button mushrooms
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Tomatoes

Johnny Carino’s typically uses penne pasta but I like to use a fettuccine because I think it holds the sauce better.

Ingredients to make Copycat Johnny Carinos Gorgonzola Chicken

How to Make Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta

Making pasta with chicken gorgonzola cream sauce is easy! Here are the basic recipe steps:

  1. Cook the chicken in a skillet until done then slice the chicken into strips.
  2. Sauté the mushrooms until soft and browned.
  3. Cook pasta according to the package instructions.
  4. Prepare the gorgonzola cream sauce.
  5. Stir the sautéed mushrooms into the sauce.
  6. Divide the pasta onto plates and top each with chicken, sauce, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.
A plate of Gorgonzola Chicken with pasta

While this dish may not still be on the menu at most Johnny Carino’s you can make this flavorful pasta for dinner. Serve it with freshly baked breadsticks and a simple garden salad.

Love Johnny Carino’s food? Try these copycat recipes!

Check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!

Homemade Johnny Carinos Gorgonzola Chicken and pasta on a plate

Johnny Carino’s Gorgonzola Chicken

Johnny Carino's Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta is one of the most requested recipes from my viewers. This menu item is no longer available but you can make it at home with this easy copycat recipe. 
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Blue Cheese, Chicken Gorgonzola, Chicken Recipes, Pasta Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 894kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound dry pasta
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 4 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola cheese
  • 8 ounces white button mushrooms sliced
  • 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped red tomatoes

Instructions

  • Pound chicken breasts until they are 1/2 inch thick.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Sear chicken in a hot skillet with two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
  • Cook on each side for about 4 to 5 minutes or until completely cooked.
  • Remove chicken breasts from the heat and let them rest for several minutes before slicing.
  • Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch slices.
  • You may need to add a tablespoon or two of oil or butter to the skillet to sauté the mushrooms.
  • Sauté the mushrooms on medium-high heat until they are browned. Sprinkle the mushrooms with about ½ teaspoon of salt while they are browning.
  • Cook pasta according to the package instructions.
  • Prepare the sauce by combining half and half and Gorgonzola cheese in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir while the sauce is heating. The sauce should thicken slightly.
  • Add the sautéed mushrooms to the sauce and stir to combine well.
  • To serve, divide the pasta equally onto 4 plates and top each with chicken.
  • Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and pasta.
  • Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and shredded Parmesan on top.

Notes

If you need to reheat this dish, I recommend leaving all of this unassembled and reassemble just before serving again. If you do not combine the pasta sauce and pasta together while this is refrigerated the sauce won’t soak into the pasta.
Johnny Carino’s typically uses penne pasta but I like to use a fettuccine because I think it holds the sauce better.

Nutrition

Calories: 894kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 1126mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 855IU | Vitamin C: 6.2mg | Calcium: 334mg | Iron: 2.4mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lilian

    I added garlic after frying the chicken then added chicken broth to scrape everything from the bottom of my cast iron! Peeeeerfect!!!!

  2. Pepe

    It’s missing the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. At least the one I’ve had at Carino’s in Houston and Baton Rouge locations have this.

  3. Cortney

    I was just viewing their site and it seems each location is different, so far I only found a location of theirs in Montana that still serves the gorgonzola, so sad. Anyways, caused me to do some searching online for a copycat recipe and found this, I CAN’T WAIT TO TRY IT! I am so excited, just added stuff on the grocery list for it! Already thinking about how delicious it will be! XD

  4. Angela

    I used Penne Rigate pasta, since the ‘ridges’ and the ‘tube’ of the pasta held the sauce very well. I didn’t miss adding salt, since parmesan cheese is already salty. I did however, add a ‘scant’ sprinkle of garlic powder into the sauce. (Pepper was NOT missed in this dish.) I topped this dish off with a bit of finely chopped Italian parsley (sprinkled over the chopped tomatoes and the grated parmesan cheese.) I doubled the recipe, since I served it at a small dinner party. Everyone raved about it, and I loved it, as well.

  5. Not happening

    Sorry but there is no way in HELL I would make a recipe, an ITALIAN recipe at that, that did not mention salt, pepper or garlic in the sauce. There is at least salt in it, just the cheese does not cut it. BLAND is what you’ll get and that is not a description I want my food tasting like. Fail. Try again

    • stephaniemanley

      I am pretty certain you won’t respond, but I can’t tell if you made the recipe and thought it was horrific, or if you didn’t like how the recipe was written. I appreciate your passion, but I am curious as if you even made the recipe.

    • Susane rohner

      Your recipe sounds delicious, also, the “add ins” suggested by other people. Why do some people have to go out of their way to say something nasty, Not Happening, I’m talking to you! You don’t like the ingredients, move on by!! Don’t make it. Don’t use this site. Why be nasty?

      • Stephanie

        I think people do this online because they feel they are powerful when they do this online. I have my doubts if the folks have even prepared the recipe.

    • Angelina

      TO: “Not Happening”: You’re obviously one of those readers who’ll criticize a recipe even before trying it. If you actually knew anything about Italian cooking, you’d already know that Gorgonzola contains a LOT of flavor, so you might not (even) need to add additional salt, pepper, and garlic. You should definitely make the recipe before you criticize it! Shame on you, as you’ve now demonstrated that you don’t really know as much about Italian cooking as you’d like us to believe that you do.

    • Winniebear

      5 stars
      Not happening AKA Karen – We are a household that loves, loves, loves cheese. All types of cheeses. Gorgonzola and Parm are both very salty. Rarely do I add salt to a recipe that includes either or both of those cheeses. Your comment was rude and I hope that you are banned from every recipe site on the internet.

      Do you have any idea of the time, energy and money that goes into recreating restaurant recipes and publishing them on the internet? Did you even attempt to make this recipe? We already know the answer.

  6. Blair

    It’s a very nice recipe. I used Trader Joe’s gorgonzola and easily crumbled it up to make a nice smooth sauce. I also used brown rice pasta and found that the texture was very good for this recipe.

  7. Jheiden

    This was awesome. I will be doubling the recipe next time so I can have leftovers. Also, we added onions, sweet red pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, and white wine to the sauce. Delicious.

  8. Guillermo

    Three words: delicious, delicious, delicious. Definitely making this again. One suggestion: you can use more cream to make more sauce and soak it up with some nice toasted bread. Hmmmm!

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