Creamy Tuscan Chicken Fettuccine

Today is National Chicken Curry Day. Are you a fan of anything curry? It’s one of those spices that you either love or shy away from – like saffron, it can be fairly overpowering.

I made a chicken curry dish once, very early in our marriage. Hubby let me know in no uncertain terms that he and curry did not get along. And that was fine, since I could take it or leave it. I don’t think Kiddo has ever even tasted curry.

Since I can’t share Chicken Curry, I thought a nice chicken supper would be nice. This recipe actually called for the chicken breasts to be cooked whole, not cut into strips. However; I forgot to thaw my chicken in the fridge a few days ahead of cooking. We have the best freezer – it takes days for anything to thaw (except ground meats). Why do ground meats thaw easily? We buy in bulk, then break up the packages into 1-meal portions. Some of the ground beef, pork or sausage is in 1-pound packages, some in half-pound portions. Then we flatten the ground meat thin. It stacks well and thaws easily. An added bonus is that by pressing the meat flat, there are less ice crystals. Don’t know why, just are.

Anyway, when I got ready to make the Chicken, the breasts were still partially frozen. Perfect for slicing, so it was no big deal. This recipe also called for Linguine. What I had on hand in the pantry was Fettuccine. Now I know we could have bought Linguine, it’s not exactly a rare or expensive pasta. But why when Fettuccine would work just fine? Another small change was to use oil from the sun-dried tomatoes rather than olive oil. It just seemed to make sense, adding more flavor to the chicken and the sauce.

Hope you enjoy!

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Fettuccine
8 oz Fettuccine
3 boneless Chicken Breasts
Garlic Powder to taste
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Italian Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil
2 tablespoons Tomato Oil
1 cup Spinach
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook Fettuccine al-dente according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Keep warm.

Cut chicken into strips. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, set aside.

Dice tomatoes, set aside. Drain 2 tablespoons of oil from the jar, place into a large skillet. Add olive oil to the tomato oil, swirl to coat bottom of the pan and set aside.

Rinse spinach. Remove stems, tear leaves into smaller pieces and set aside.

Heat the tomato-olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken strips and cook chicken until no longer pink and is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes depending upon thickness. Remove chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.

To the pan used for the chicken, add cream, chicken stock, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce is hot and thickened.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach to the cream sauce. Cook until spinach has wilted.

Add the chicken breasts back to the pan for a few minutes to warm. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water. If too thin, add a little more cheese.

Plate pasta. Spoon chicken with sauce over pasta, serve and enjoy. Great with warm bread and a simple toss salad.

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Romaine Italian Salad with Creamy Dressing
The Salad Dressing 
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
2 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoon Romano Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. Transfer to small serving pitcher or salad dressing bottle and chill until ready to use.

The Salad
2 bunches Romaine Lettuce
2 cups Grape Tomatoes
1 small Red Onion
8 pickled Pepperoncini Peppers
Creamy Italian Dressing as desired
Italian Croutons
Handful Shaved Parmesan cheese
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Scatter into a large salad bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half, scatter over the lettuce. Peel and thinly slice the onion into rings. Break apart and scatter over the salad. Add the pepperoncini peppers whole. Toss to blend. Chill until ready to serve.

Just before serving, add croutons, drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Serve with shaved Parmesan Cheese and additional dressing on the side.

Pass the pepper mill around the table if desired.