Description
Creamy garlic Alfredo tossed with tender sliced chicken, cheesy blanched broccoli, and finished with a smoky roasted red pepper and mushroom pesto for a rich, layered Tuscan-inspired pasta.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: 2 large, boneless and skinless
- Fettuccine Pasta: 12 ounces
- Broccoli Florets: 2 cups, cut into bite-size pieces
- Garlic Cloves: 4 cloves, minced
- Butter: 4 tablespoons
- Heavy Cream: 2 cups
- Parmesan Cheese: 1 cup, freshly grated
- Olive Oil: 2 tablespoons
- Mushrooms: 1 cup, sliced
- Roasted Red Peppers: 1 cup, jarred or homemade, drained
- Fresh Basil: 1/2 cup, packed
- Pine Nuts: 1/4 cup, toasted
- Salt: To taste
- Black Pepper: To taste
Instructions
- Preheat Your Equipment: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and set a blender or food processor ready for the pesto.
- Combine Ingredients: Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the hot skillet, add chicken, and sear until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes per side depending on thickness. Transfer chicken to a plate and let rest 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
- Prepare Your Cooking Vessel: In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add butter. When melted, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour in heavy cream, stir to combine, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Assemble the Dish: Add freshly grated Parmesan to the simmering cream in batches, stirring until fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste. Meanwhile, cook fettuccine in the boiling water until al dente according to package instructions and blanch broccoli in the pasta water for 1 to 2 minutes until bright green and just tender. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- Cook to Perfection: Add drained pasta, blanched broccoli, and sliced chicken to the Alfredo sauce. Toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time to loosen the sauce and create a silky coating that clings to the pasta.
- Finishing Touches: Make the roasted red pepper mushroom pesto by combining roasted red peppers, roasted or sautéed mushrooms, fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of salt, and black pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until a slightly chunky pesto forms. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve and Enjoy: Plate the pasta, spoon the roasted red pepper mushroom pesto over the top or swirl through the pasta, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and torn basil leaves, and serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the creamiest sauce.
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency and help it cling to the noodles.
- Toast pine nuts gently in a dry skillet until golden for brighter pesto flavor.
- Make the pesto ahead and store it in a jar topped with olive oil for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 720
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 48 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg
Keywords: Tuscan Garlic Chicken Alfredo, Cheesy Broccoli Alfredo, Roasted Red Pepper Mushroom Pesto, creamy chicken pasta, fettuccine Alfredo with pesto