by Kimberley Heit

Created on: July 17, 2008

Chicken fettuccine alfredo is a pasta meal that combines fettuccine pasta and strips of chicken with a creamy sauce. It is a filling and affordable dish equally suited to an everyday family meal or a more elaborate occasion. Detailed below are step by step instructions and variations to try.

CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

Serves-4-6

Ingredients:

-500g pack of fettuccini or if you are game prepare your own fresh pasta (Ingredients and directions for fresh homemade pasta are listed at the end)

-1/4 cup of butter
-1 cup of cream
-1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, plus a little extra to grate over the top of the dish
-Approximately 300g diced chicken breast
-Pepper to grind over the top of the prepared dish
-Your choices of herbs or accompaniments to add flavor (ingredients to try include; herbs like coriander or thyme, garlic, chilies, pine nuts or any vegetables that are suitable for stir frying).

Directions:

-Cook pasta to the packages directions or until tender, drain and set aside.

-Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a frying pan and add chicken pieces.

-Once the chicken breast pieces have started to brown remove from the heat and add the butter, cream, parmesan and your choice of accompaniments. Stir these ingredients over a medium heat almost allowing the cream to boil, but not burn.

-Add the pre cooked pasta to the cream mixture and toss gently over a low heat until it is heated through.

-Remove from heat, dish up onto plates and add some grated parmesan and a grind of pepper. This meal tastes best when served hot. If you have leftovers add them to a frying pan and gently toss over a low heat until the pasta has warmed through again.

Buon appetito! (enjoy your meal!)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING FRESH HOMEMADE PASTA:

Ingredients:
2 cups of plain flour (this can be replaced with a mixture of spelt or whole wheat if desired)
A good pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of olive oil and
Enough water to make the mixture into a dough (you will need to determine this by trial and error by adding just a little at a time. The idea is to make a smooth, pliable dough)

Instructions:

-Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.

-Add the pinch of salt and stir

-Make a hollow in the center of your flour mixture and add the contents of the cracked eggs and the olive oil.

-Cover over this mixture with flour and mix to combine.

-Add water gradually whilst kneading the mixture together. When the ingredients form a smooth, elastic dough the mixture is complete. Adding too much water will make the dough slimey. If this occurs you will need to compensate by adding a little more flour. Not adding enough flour will make the dough crack rather then roll out smoothly.

-Once you have the right consistency of dough wrap it in cling film or plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

-To make fettuccine it is best to use a pasta maker and roll the dough through the normal setting several times before running it through the fettuccini slicer. If you don't have a pasta maker or the right attachments you can prepare the fettuccini by hand, it will be just a little rougher and thicker. Roll out small sections of dough in a rectangular shape until it is very thin (only a couple of millimeters thick.) Then slice the dough into lengths which are around 1cm wide.

*Fresh pasta benefits from a dash of salt in the water to stop it from sticking to the pot.

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