Chicken Tequila Fettuccine

Happy New Year! Not being a fan of Black-eyed Peas, we skipped the traditional holiday meal and made pasta.

I came across this recipe sometime last year from Allrecipes.com. This is a great southwestern twist on the classic Fettuccini Alfredo. The cilantro and jalapenos give it a little kick without being too spicy. It definitely has a kid-friendly flavor.

Tonight I made it for our meal exchange. I found it very easy to make in bulk (4 x the recipe) and would definitely consider making it for a large group. It wasn't as time consuming and labor intensive as some recipes can be.

Chicken Tequila Fettuccini

Chop:
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Pour over chicken and set aside:
3 TB soy sauce

In a medium saucepan, saute over medium heat for 4-5 minutes:
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 TB minced garlic
2 TB minced jalapeno peppers (seeds, membranes, and all...it's really not spicy!)
2 TB butter

Add:
1/2 C chicken stock 3 TB tequila 2 TB fresh lime juice

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency. Set aside.

In a medium sized skillet, saute
1 TB butter
1/4 red onion, chopped *
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced

Cook
1 lb fettuccini

When the peppers and onions have softened, add the chicken and soy sauce. Toss and add the reserved tequila/lime paste and cream. Bring to a boil. Gently simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick. Toss with well drained fettuccini and garnish with cilantro. Serve.

*This nifty little gadget shown in the onion picture helps make nice neat onion slices. It pierces the onion and allows a knife to cut between the tines, making nice even slices. When I'm chopping an onion, I first slice off the top, and remove the onion skin. I leave the end (w/roots) on until the very end. This keeps the onion together, making it easier to work with. I then cut slices one way (as shown) and then turn the onion 90 degrees to make perpendicular cuts. (The onion will resemble one of those "blooming onions" from Outback Steakhouse.) Then I turn the onion on its side and start cutting the ends, getting nice little chopped onion pieces.