Fettuccine with Chicken-Pepper Sauce

Spinach fettuccine loaded with stir-fried chicken strips, broccoli, and sweet bell peppers in a cheesy basil sauce. This is a one-skillet dinner (plus the pasta pot) that moves fast once you start cooking.

The vegetables go first in a hot skillet sprayed with nonstick coating. Three to four minutes keeps the broccoli and peppers crisp-tender with a little color. Pull them out before they go limp. The chicken strips cook separately in oil, getting a quick sear until just done through. Overcooking lean chicken breast makes it tough and dry, so pull it the moment the pink is gone.

Cream of chicken soup mixed with water, dried basil, and the vegetables builds the sauce in the same pan. It comes together in minutes once everything is back in the skillet. Reduced-fat cheddar melts into the hot sauce at the end, adding body without a heavy, greasy feel.

Using spinach fettuccine adds an earthy, slightly vegetal flavor that pairs well with the broccoli and peppers. Standard fettuccine works fine, but you lose that color contrast.

Chef Tips

• Cut the bell pepper into squares, not strips. Squares hold their shape better during stir-frying and match the broccoli floret size.
• Use reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup if you can find it. The full-sodium version makes the sauce quite salty once the cheese is added.
• Shred the cheese yourself from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.
• Toss the hot pasta with a splash of the sauce before plating so it doesn’t stick together.

Variations

• Swap the protein: Use shrimp instead of chicken. Add them after the vegetables since shrimp cook even faster.
• Mushroom version: Add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to the vegetable stir-fry for an earthy dimension.