Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken

This is another terrific Italian dish from Giada De Laurentiis. I grew up thinking that if you were going to serve pasta, you had to smoother it in either a tomato or heavy cheese sauce. Oh what a sheltered life I lead! I have made this dish many times, and it's always a crowd favorite. When I tell Julie I'm making this for Sunday dinner, it always makes her smile.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of pasta. Since pasta is only sold in 1 pound boxes, I usually go ahead and cook the full 2 pounds and include a little more chicken.

Giada lists this recipe as making 4 to 6 servings. My experience is it makes 8 servings, and more if you up the quantity of ingredients. Even if you invite friends over you'll still have plenty of leftovers.

If you don't have fresh herbs, it's OK to use dried, but just reduce the amount by 1/3 to 1/2.

I recommend serving this dish with a nice Chardonnay. It's a great one-dish meal to serve on a cold winter night.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
3 oz prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. fettuccine
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, wine, thyme, and oregano. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir and cook until tender per the directions on the package.
  5. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly on a cutting board. Using a fork and knife, gently shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan Stir in the parsley.
  6. To serve, spoon the pasta into serving dishes and top with the chicken and sauce.
From Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Pasta

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