A twist on Fettucini Alfredo

Well my girls love Pasta... they would eat it every night of the week if I would let them (which of course I won't).  We have been experimenting with gluten free pasta and so far we have been pleased.  That being said, tonight we just used normal pasta.  I forgot to pick up the gluten free pasta at Woodman's and didn't feel like going there after my dental work today so I just picked up a box of fettucini at Target. 

I found the basic recipe on another blog and imported it to Plan to eat.  If you have plan to eat here is the link http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/1431713

For those of you who don't (and this includes me because I'm still on my free trial and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not). 

The basic recipe is from abearinthekitchen.blogspot.com

This is a Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and of course I modified her recipe a bit to our tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Fettucini Noodles
• boneless skinless chicken tenders
• cajun seasoning blend
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms (or some sort of mushroom)
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach torn
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded italian cheese blend (I think I used more, I just took two handfuls)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to tastes
• fresh parsley

 
Cook fettuccine according to package directions. **Important - scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before you drain the pasta and set it aside.** Drain and rinse with hot tap water to keep pasta from sticking. Set aside.

Sprinkle each chicken tender on both sides with ample blackening spice, rubbing the spice in to adhere. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, get skillet very hot. Working in batches place chicken breasts in skillet (so as not to crowd the pan) and sear on one side until very browned, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken over and sear on other side for 1 minute. Place chicken on sprayed baking sheet. Add another tablespoon of butter to the hot pan and repeat searing until all the chicken has been done. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, just until cooked through. Remove chicken and slice on the diagonal into strips. Cover with foil and set aside.

After chicken breasts go in the oven, start on the sauce in the same skillet. If needed add another tablespoon of olive oil and get the skillet nice and hot again. Pour chicken broth into skillet and whisk up all the brown bits... It's going to produce a lot of steam when you add the broth so be prepared for that. Add tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic and saute until softened, about 2 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

 

 Continue to stir for 6 minutes, until cream has reduced and thickened (for me this is hard to gauge, I just watched it and when it had been long enough moved on).  Stir in two handfuls of torn baby spinach leaves, then  Remove from heat and stir in cheeses, stirring constantly until cheeses melt. Add pasta and toss. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce so it will coat the pasta. Add chicken and toss. Serve topped with parsley and Parmesan cheese if desired.

 

 

 This meal earned 4 stars at our house (meaning everyone enjoyed it).... I hope you guys do too