Rich creamy smoked chicken fettuccine is a dish to serve either as a side or on its own.
Pasta is one of those easy dishes to make. With a little inventiveness it can be something the whole family will want you to make again and again.
It’s thought fettuccine has been around since the 15th Century in Italy, originally comprising of just cream, butter, parmesan and the water from the cooked pasta.
However, it’s come a long way since then and you can add as much flavour as you like.
I’m not one to use the pasta water and I firmly believe this helps make the succulent, smooth sauce with the richness it needs to taste fantastic.
This particular dish is one I tinkered with for nearly two years, after tasting an amazing dish at a since-closed café in Tīrau and loving it enough to try to replicate it.
It may not be the same – but it’s close enough and as a pasta dish has become the family favourite
You can use dried fettuccine; I like to use the fresh made packet-type you find in the supermarket chillers.
You can use any white fleshed fish, or salmon, although this can make it quite heavy. In a pinch, left over chicken from a roast will also do what you need.
Don’t be afraid to add herbs such as tarragon, or flatleaf Italian parsley, finely chopped.
Some also like to add at the point of serving, halved cherry tomatoes and shredded wilted spinach for extra flavour and colour.
Smoked chicken fettuccine
Ingredients:
One packet of fresh fettucine
Two cloves garlic, finely minced
One cup cream
250 grams butter
One Tbs butter
½ C parmesan cheese
½ C grated Edam or Colby cheese
Smoked chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
One tsp salt
Ground black pepper to taste, but be generous
Method:
In a pot, boil enough water to cook fettuccine and cook to instructions. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pan, use 1 Tbs butter and melt on a lowish heat.
Add garlic, cooking until soft. Add cream, the remaining butter as one cube, allowing to melt naturally and stirring quite often.
Once melted, add cheeses, salt and pepper and stir quickly until sauce thickens.
Rinse cooked fettuccine and drain, then add to the sauce, along with the chicken until the latter is heated.
Serve straight away.
