- 1 lb fettuccine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3-4 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- Grilled and sliced chicken breast
- Broccoli or asparagus
- Flat leaf parsley for garnish
Grill chicken breast, rest, slice, and set aside. You can also substitute ready to eat chicken breast. You can find it already sliced up in the meat department at the grocery store. It's surprisingly good.
Steam the broccoli or asparagus (or whatever you want to use) until it's al dente. It'll cook a tiny bit more when you add it to the sauce, but not much, so you want it cooked however you'd like to eat it. I usually add the veg to a pan, add a couple teaspoons of water, and cook it a lid on to hold in the steam. Shock the veggies in ice water (just put them in a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds) so they stay bright green. Remove from the ice water and put in a bowl while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once it's melted it'll start to foam up a little (as the water in the butter boils), stir until the bubbling stops, but don't let the butter burn.
Whisk flour into butter until competely combined and cook for a minute or two (this takes some of the raw taste out of the flour). Again, don't burn it.
Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a boil. Flour needs to reach boiling temperatures to thicken up. Whisk frequently so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan and once it's nice and thick, remove it from the heat.
Whisk in grated paramaesan.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (the cheese is salty, but you'll probably still want a pinch of salt). A little pinch of garlic powder and/or nutmeg is also good, but not necessary.
By now the pasta should be done. Drain it and toss with some sauce (you probably won't need all of it), the chicken, and the veg. You want the pasta nicely coated, but not swimming in sauce.
Garnish with some more grated parm and some finely minced flat leaf parsley.
Serve with a loaf of crusty bread that you warm up in the oven.
Might also be nice to serve with a salad.
This is also really good with some diced, fried bacon and peas (fresh or frozen; never canned).