~CPK's Chicken Tequila Fettucini~

Every time I go to California Pizza Kitchen, I can't help but order this delish pasta. It's amazing! Really, I order it every time. I'm not even sure why I tried it the first time (...tequila??) but it is oohhhh so good. It has such a pop of flavor! I scoured the internet for the recipe, and found that CPK has a cookbook with most of their recipes. Yes! So I ordered it used on Amazon for one cent. Double yes! I was surprised with all the ingredients that went into this, but it is still pretty easy to make. You'll enjoy this one, especially if you like bell peppers, lime and chicken!

You need to have spinach fettucini to really make this right. Walmart didn't carry it, so I found this at Stater Bros.

Look at all those beautiful festive colors!

I made this dish before without the red bell pepper and I won't lie--I wish it had more peppers, and I really wish it had red bell pepper.  The fettucini is already green because it's spinach, so you definitely want to add some variety in color.

Serves 6-8

you'll need:

1 lb. dry spinach fettucini

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped (2 Tbs. reserved for garnish)

2 Tbs. minced garlic

2 Tbs. minced jalapeno pepper (take out seeds)

3 Tbs. butter, divided

1/2 c. chicken stock

2 Tbs. gold tequila

2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (must be fresh)

3 Tbs. soy sauce

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sizes

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

get busy:

1) Boil water in a big pot. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook 1/3 c. cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in 2 Tbs. butter over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, tequila and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a pastelike consistency; set aside.

3) Pour soy sauce over diced chicken; set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally with remaining butter over medium heat. When the veggies have wilted, add chicken and soy sauce; toss and add the tequila/lime paste and add the heavy cream.

4) Bring the sauce to a boil; boil gently until chicken in cooked through and the sauce is thick (about 3 minutes). When the sauce is done, toss with fettucini and reserved cilantro.

That's it! Next to my Penne Alla Vodka pasta, this is my favorite pasta dish!