How Many Carbs Are in Chicken Scampi at Olive Garden?

Chicken scampi is a popular dish at Olive Garden, known for its savory garlic butter sauce, tender chicken, and hearty helping of linguine. But if you’re watching your carb intake, you may be wondering – how many carbs are actually in Olive Garden’s chicken scampi?

I decided to dig into the nutrition facts and find out. Here’s a detailed look at the carb count for chicken scampi at Olive Garden.

Breaking Down the Carb Count

According to Olive Garden’s nutrition information, a serving of chicken scampi contains:

• 105g total carbs
• 4g fiber
• 7g sugar
• 88g net carbs

So in total, there are 105 grams of carbs in Olive Garden’s chicken scampi. Once you subtract the fiber, there are 88 grams of net carbs.

That’s quite a high carb count for one dish! To put it in perspective, the recommended daily carb intake on a standard diet is around 225-325 grams. So this one plate of chicken scampi fulfills about 1/3 of your total daily carb needs.

Where The Carbs Are Coming From

The biggest source of carbs in Olive Garden’s chicken scampi is the linguine pasta.

A standard serving provides unlimited breadsticks and a full plate of linguine noodles tossed in the garlic butter sauce. Just the pasta alone clocks in around 60-70 grams of carbs

The sauce also contains a bit of carbohydrates from ingredients like flour garlic, shallots white wine, and lemon juice. Plus, any crumbs or batter on the chicken add trace amounts of carbs as well.

So between the noodles, sauce, and chicken, it all adds up to a whopping 105g carbs in one plate.

How It Compares to Other Dishes

Olive Garden’s chicken scampi sits on the higher end of the carb spectrum compared to other entrées,

Here’s how it compares to some other popular Olive Garden dishes:

• Chicken Parmigiana: 80g net carbs
• Baked Ziti: 63g net carbs
• Chicken Alfredo: 50g net carbs
• Lasagna Classico: 45g net carbs
• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: 42g net carbs

The chicken scampi has at least 30 grams more carbs than traditional pasta dishes like lasagna and spaghetti at Olive Garden.

The only dishes that come close are the Chicken Parmigiana and Baked Ziti, which are also pasta-based. But even those have slightly less carbs than the chicken scampi.

So if you’re really watching your carbs, the chicken scampi is one of the most carb-laden options on the menu.

Tips for Ordering Low-Carb at Olive Garden

If you want to enjoy Olive Garden but limit carbs, here are some tips:

• Pick a vegetable-based side dish: Opt for steamed broccoli (6g net carbs) instead of pasta.

• Order zoodles: You can sub out the pasta for zucchini noodles in most entrees.

• Choose a salad entrée: Salad options like grilled chicken caesar are around 15-25g net carbs.

• Split a dish: Order an entrée to share with the table to control portions.

• Limit breadsticks: These add up fast at 5g net carbs per stick.

• Share dessert: Get a small taste of something sweet like tiramisu (34g carbs) instead of your own.

The Bottom Line

Olive Garden’s beloved chicken scampi comes in at a hefty 105 grams of total carbs and 88 grams of net carbs per serving.

That’s nearly 1/3 of your daily carb intake from just one meal! So if you’re watching carbs, be mindful of portion sizes and balance it out with low-carb sides and starters.

The lowest carb meal at Olive Garden is generally considered to be the Herb-Grilled Salmon with a side of broccoli, which contains only 4g of net carbs, according to BdSN and Low Carb Yum. Other low-carb options include the Grilled Chicken, Tuscan Sirloin, and Sweet or Spicy Italian Sausage Links, all with very low carb counts, according to Low Carb Yum.

An Olive Garden breadstick contains 25 grams of total carbohydrates, according to MyNetDiary and Eat This Much.

The healthiest options at Olive Garden are generally grilled chicken or salmon entrees with a side of steamed vegetables or a salad. Specific dishes include Herb-Grilled Salmon, Grilled Chicken Margherita, and Shrimp Scampi.