This is exactly the sort of dinner I like whenever my week and To Do list are nuts. It’s a tried and true recipe, widely accepted and acceptable, and it doesn’t trash the kitchen.
It’s the holiday season as I write this–y’all know the fun doesn’t let up until Lent–and everybody I know is super crazy busy. Creole Chicken Fettuccine is easy, economical, and–with its veggie heavy sauce–can be a complete meal in itself. As yummy as it is, it only requires two pots: one for the pasta, the other for everything else, and you’re done. You can even forego the chopping of the trinity vegetables by buying a bag of “seasoning blend” in the freezer section.
Creole Chicken Fettuccine is delicious, and it’s certainly nice enough for company, or fancy enough for a dinner party. It’s also simple and quick enough for a family weeknight dinner. The Creole flavors are as rich and complex as you’ve come to expect, but the ingredients are either in your pantry, freezer, or spice cabinet already. And if not, they’re readily available at your local grocery store at relatively reasonable prices.
For the Creole Chicken Fettuccine pictured, I used chicken tenderloins. I snipped the tough white tendon out with kitchen scissors. Then I cut the chicken tender into 4 or 5 pieces and went from there. Boneless skinless chicken breasts also work. As for pasta, I’ve used fettuccine here, but linguine is fine, too. So is regular spaghetti, bucatini, cavatappi, fusilli, or rotini. Angel hair pasta is too delicate to stand up to the hearty sauce and chunks of chicken. If all I had in my pantry was angel hair and elbow macaroni or egg noodles, I’d use the macaroni or egg noodles before the angel hair. Creole Chicken is also lovely served on steamed rice.
Creole Chicken Fettuccine is easy Gulf Coast food at its best! ♥️
Enjoy!
Creole Chicken Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 3 T. olive oil, divided
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 or 2 t. Creole seasoning, or to taste
- 1 t. dried basil
- 1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
- 1 lb. fettuccine, cooked according to package directions and drained, reserving a 1/2 cup of pasta water
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or deep skillet, brown the chicken pieces in 2 T. of olive oil over medium high heat. You're not looking to cook the chicken all the way through, You're just browning it for now. Brown both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl.
- In the same pot add the remaining oil and sauté onion, celery, and pepper until they're soft--about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, Creole seasoning, and basil. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Return the chicken to the pot along with the accumulated juices. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Add the cooked fettuccine to the pan and toss well. Add the pasta water and toss again. Serve!
The only change I made was to replace the chicken with hunks of mushrooms. To give it the right mouthfeel. Delicious 🤤
I used fettuccine needles