Teaching Cooking

I'll be teaching a cooking class tonight for some friends and thought I'd post the recipe for the main dish they'll be learning. This is a recipe I created based on a pasta dish I like at the Cheesecake Factory. If you try it, let me know how you like it!

Spicy Chicken Pasta
(Cooking Class #1)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 package fettuccine
2 Tbsp (Tablespoon) olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized chunks
3-4 cups chopped vegetables (I like red peppers, sweet peas, and asparagus and they should be chopped in bite-size chunks – not too small)
1 pint heavy cream
Up to 1 tsp. (teaspoon) of red chili pepper flakes (less if you like things a little less spicy)
½ tsp salt


Directions:

Cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and cook until the outside of the pieces is brown, and the inside is no longer pink (you can slice open one or two to check). Once the chicken is cooked, remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 Tbsp to the skillet, and then add the vegetables. Sauté until the veggies are cooked, but not wilted (they will start to look a little brighter colored). Mix the chicken back into the skillet, then cover and turn the heat off.

Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Add in the chili pepper flakes and the salt and stir until the sauce begins to bubble against the side of the pan. Once it bubbles, turn the heat off.

Combine the ingredients in the pot you cooked the pasta in. Mix the vegetables and chicken into the pasta, and then turn the heat on low underneath the pasta as you add in the sauce (you’ll want to keep it warm, and try to evaporate any extra liquid). Once everything’s mixed through, serve, with additional red chili pepper flakes on hand if needed.


Substitution:
If you’re feeling courageous and need more heat, omit the chili pepper flakes and instead, include one chopped chipotle pepper (or a portion of it, if you’re only feeling a little courageous). These usually come in small cans (in adobo sauce) that you can find in the Mexican food aisle of most grocery stores. Rinse off the sauce, and just add in the chopped pepper when you would have added the flakes. The remaining chipotle peppers can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for the future.