Smoked Chicken Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Let me just start out by saying that this is not a weeknight recipe. This is definitely a Sunday all day kind of recipe. Our friends Eric and Nicole came over for this culinary adventure today. Eric has had this idea to make smoked chicken ravioli. Since I got Phil a smoker for Christmas I said they should come over and we would try it. I had my first go around with homemade ravioli not to long ago so I was feeling pretty confident about it. We did not really have a recipe so I just kind of winged it. I was trying to think of what kind of sauce would be good that would not mask the flavor of the ravioli. I found this recipe for roasted red pepper cream sauce on allrecipes.com. I thought that sounded like a good pairing. Phil smoked the chicken. I made the pasta dough. Nicole and I rolled the dough through the pasta machines (she brought hers over, which was perfect because it would have taken all day otherwise). We all filled the raviolis. I cooked them and then Phil made the sauce. It was quite a team effort. It was a fun project for us all. They came out really good. You could really taste the smokiness of the chicken and the roasted red pepper sauce paired really nicely with the pasta. We doubled the recipe below so we would have several raviolis to freeze as well.

Chicken:

1 whole chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
Butter
3-4 cups (as needed) Mesquite wood chips

Pasta:

1 cup Semolina flour
2 1/3 cups "00" flour, divided
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons olive oil

Filling:

2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups smoked chicken, shredded into small pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
Pepper

Sauce:

1 jar roasted red peppers, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper


To smoke the chicken:

Preheat smoker to 220 degrees.

Soak 1 cup of the wood chips in water. Place wood chips in the tray at the bottom of the smoker. You will need to check on the chips throughout the smoking process as they will burn out. You will then take another cup of chips and soak them in water and then refill the tray, as needed.

Rub the outside and inside of a whole chicken with butter.

Place chicken in the smoker breast side down. Smoke chicken for 3 1/2 hours or until temperature reaches 180 degrees. Halfway through cooking, turn chicken breast side up.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat up chicken broth and wine. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer the whole smoking process.

Baste the chicken every 30 minutes with chicken broth and wine sauce.

Once chicken comes to temperature let rest for 15 minutes to cook. Then shred into small pieces for ravioli. Set aside.

To make pasta:

In a stand mixer mix all ingredients together, reserving 1/3 cup of flour. Mix for about 30 seconds. Dough will become a pea like consistency.

Add reserved flour at this point if dough seems too sticky. Continue to mix for about another minute until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a couple more minutes.

Shape the dough into a disk and cover with  a large bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

Flour a pasta machine lightly. Turn the dial to the highest number.

Cut the disk of dough like a pie into about 8 equal pieces. Take one of the pieces and form it into a disk.

Pass the dough through the pasta machine. Then fold the dough in half and pass through the machine again.

Continue this until you get to the second to last setting on the machine.

Lay finished dough on a lightly floured surface and continue with the remaining dough until all dough is formed
into sheets.

Cover sheets with a towel so they do not dry out to much.

To make the filling:

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

To make Ravioli:


Take a sheet of pasta and lightly fold in half lengthwise to mark the center. Then unfold and lay flat again.

Beginning about 1 inch from one of the short ends, place a tablespoon full of the filling about one inch apart in a row down the center of one side of the fold.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush water around the filling.

Fold the dough over the filling.

Press down on the dough around the filling to be sure to get any air out. 

Seal the ravioli and using a knife or pastry cutter, cut ravioli into squares. 

Set aside. 

For the sauce:

In a skillet, cook the garlic, basil, and peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. 

Cook for 10 minutes. 

Place mixture in blender and puree to desired consistency. 

Return to skillet and reheat to boil. 

Stir in half and half and parmesan cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. 

Add butter and stir until melted.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. 

To cook the Ravioli:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add ravioli and cook until they float.

Serve with sauce. 

This recipe is linked on:  Foodie Friday, Show and Tell Saturday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday,  Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons,  Rediscovering Lost Arts From Our Mothers,  Mix it Up Mondays, Melt in your Mouth Mondays,  On the Menu Monday,  Show me Your Plaid Mondays,Made by You Mondays, Martha Mondays, Mop It Up Monday, Meal Time Monday

Healthier Creamy Chicken and Pasta

Cookbook Recipe #44

I love those Voila or Stouffer's (I think) chicken and garlic pasta dinners. I make them every once in a while when I don't feel like cooking. I found this recipe in my Campbell's cookbook and it looked exactly like the frozen dinner. I have been trying to eat better when I can so I wanted to change up the recipe a bit to make it not so bad for you. The original recipe called to use a frozen vegetable and pasta blend, which I have never been able to find anyway. So, I used whole wheat egg noodles instead. I was surprised that the noodles did not taste very wheaty, if that is even a word. They were actually not bad. I do not think whole wheat noodles could ever be a substitute in spaghetti, but in other dishes I think I could get used to them. The recipe tasted exactly how I wanted it to. And I probably cut a lot of the calories from the original dish!

Healthier Creamy Chicken and Pasta
Adapted from Campbell's Four Ingredients or Less


2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 bag of whole wheat egg noodles
2 (10 3/4) oz cans healthier request cream of chicken
1 (16 oz) bag frozen vegetables
1 cup water
Salt
Pepper
Dried parsley for garnish



Bring pasta water to a boil.

In a large saucepan add vegetables, cream of chicken and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Cook pasta for 5 minutes.

Add pasta to vegetable mixture.

Season with salt and pepper and dried parsley to taste.

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This recipe is linked on: Rediscovering Lost Arts From Our Mothers,  Mix it Up Mondays, Melt in your Mouth Mondays,  On the Menu Monday,  Show me Your Plaid Mondays, Marvelous Mondays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Marsala and Marscarpone

Cookbook Recipe #43

I went to a Cookbook Club cooking class at Williams Sonoma a couple weeks ago. Nigellissima was the cookbook they were featuring. With the class you got a copy of the cookbook and full dinner with the recipes they made during the class. You know I could't pass up an opportunity to A. get a cookbook and B. go to a cooking class! They made four different recipes out of the cookbook. I actually thought all four sounded really good. This pasta was one of the recipes. It was so good at the class, I knew I had to make it at home for Phil and I. The recipe calls for dried porcini mushrooms. I had never used dried mushrooms before and boy were they good. I will have to remember that when I am making a special pasta dish, as they are a little pricey. They had a very meaty taste to them and added great flavor to the pasta. The pasta does not look like it would have a lot of flavor by looking at it, but it is delicious  It came out just as good as it did during the class!

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Marsala and Marscarpone
Adapted from Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson

1 cup dried Porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup marscarpone cheese
Ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
12 ounces mafalda pasta, or fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a small sauce pan add mushrooms. Cover with marsala and water. Bring to a boil. Then take off heat and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a bowl add marscarpone and ground pepper. Then strain the liquid from the mushrooms over the marscarpone. Whisk to combine.

Chop mushrooms into smaller pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about a minute. Add in mushrooms and parsley.and cook for a couple of minutes. Add marscarpone mixture and bring to a boil. Take off heat and set aside.

Once pasta is finished cooking, strain and add to skillet. Mix to combine. Add parmesan and mix again.

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Homemade Ravioli

So I have to confess. I tried making this already and the results were not so good. But this time they were awesome! I went to a ravioli making class a couple weeks ago at Williams Sonoma. They do free demonstration classes every Sunday. This was the first time I ever went to one. They showed us 2 different ways to make the ravioli. They showed how to make them by hand with a stamp and with the ravioli maker for the kitchen aid mixer. I ended up purchasing a stamp and making them by hand. They also showed us how to make fresh pasta dough and to run it through a pasta machine.  It actually surprised me that this was not an all day process. I would say it took me about 2 hours of active cooking to make them. I can do that on a Sunday every once in awhile. The only thing that was tough about this recipe was finding the ingredients that they used in the class to make the ravioli. They used "00" flour, which I had never heard of and semolina flour. I found the semolina flour in the store but had went on a hunt for the "00" flour. Phil found it for me at an international market that is in our area. But you certainly can use just plain flour to make the dough.

 I could not believe how good the raviolis came out. They had the perfect bite to them and the cheese was really creamy. I am excited to try new fillings next time!

Homemade Ravioli
Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma

Pasta:
1 cup Semolina flour
2 1/3 cups "00" flour, divided
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons olive oil

Filling:
3 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Favorite pasta sauce
1 tablespoon salt

In a stand mixer mix all ingredients together, reserving 1/3 cup of flour. Mix for about 30 seconds. Dough will become a pea like consistency.

Add reserved flour at this point if dough seems too sticky. Continue to mix for about another minute until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a couple more minutes.

Shape the dough into a disk and cover with  a large bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

Flour a pasta machine lightly. Turn the dial to the highest number.

Cut the disk of dough like a pie into about 8 equal pieces. Take one of the pieces and form it into a disk.

Pass the dough through the pasta machine. Then fold the dough in half and pass through the machine again.

Continue this until you get to the second to last setting on the machine.

Lay finished dough on a lightly floured surface and continue with the remaining dough until all dough is formed
into sheets.

Now make the filling.

Mix all filling ingredients into a bowl until well combined.

Take a sheet of pasta and lightly fold in half lengthwise to mark the center. Then unfold and lay flat again.

Beginning about 1 inch from one of the short ends, place a teaspoon full of the filling about one inch apart in a row down the center of one side of the fold.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush water around the filling.

Fold the dough over the filling.

Using a ravioli stamp, place stamp over the center of each piece of filled dough and stamp out the ravioli.

Continue until all dough is used.

You can now either freeze the ravioli or use is fresh.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add ravioli and cook until they float.

Serve with your favorite sauce.

This recipe is linked on:   Foodie Friday, Show and Tell Saturday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday,  Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons,  Foodie Friday, Rediscovering Lost Arts From Our Mothers,  Mix it Up Mondays, Melt in your Mouth Mondays,  On the Menu Monday,  Show me Your Plaid Mondays

Creamy Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Garlicky Bread Crumb Topping

I have gone back and looked at this recipe so many times because I thought it sounded and looked sooo good. But then I always found something else to try instead. I finally decided to try it though tonight. Chicken marsala is one of my favorite dishes. I just love the flavors of the marsala wine with the mushrooms and garlic. A lot of my favorite flavors in one dish. I think I just added a new favorite flavor though......garlicky bread crumb topping. Ohhh my! What a great flavor enhancer for pasta. Not the healthiest addition but if you are going for pasta in the first place who cares!

This pasta came out really good but I was bummed I did not have more sauce. It was my fault though because the recipe called to save a cup of pasta water ( a Rachael Ray signature) and I forgot. I have made several pastas of hers and she always says to save the pasta water and I always forget to get it out before I drain it. So I am sure if I saved the water like I was supposed to it would have been saucier. I included the water addition below and bolded it. Maybe you will not forget like me!

Creamy Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Garlicky Bread Crumb Topping
Adapted from Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound sliced bella mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound linguine
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile in a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium high. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms and cook until golden about 10 minutes.

Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mushrooms with flour then add marsala. Reduce for 1 minute. Add broth and cream and simmer to thicken.

Once water is boiling add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat and melt the remaining tablespoons of butter. Add the panko and garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.

Before draining pasta reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. 

Toss pasta with water and sauce. Top with breadcrumbs and parsley.

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Spinach Manicotti

Cookbook Recipe #20

My mom gave me this series of cookbooks not to long ago. Each cookbook is designated for a certain type of dish. The books are all from the 80s so the dishes are all really classic. My type of recipes! I decided to make Spinach Manicotti for the first recipe out of the books in this series. Normally if I make manicotti or stuffed shells I would only do cheese. I have recently discovered that I like spinach so I have been trying to add spinach to things now that I typically would not in the past. So I decided to add it to the manicotti and it was really good.

I learned a new way of cooking pasta before baking for this recipe. It calls to bring water to a boil and pour the water over the manicotti noodles and let them sit for 5 minutes. The noodles get done enough to cook in the oven to finish off. I have never seen that before in a recipe so I was a little skeptical, but it came out great. I think I will start adding spinach to more of my pasta dishes.

Spinach Manicotti
Adapted from Famous Brands Pasta Dishes

8 Manicotti Shells
1 Jar favorite tomato sauce
1 Package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and pressed very dry
8 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten





Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl place manicotti shells, cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

Combine ricotta cheese,spinach, parmesan and eggs together in a bowl and mix well.

Stuff manicotti shells with mixture and place in a baking dish. Cover with pasta sauce and bake for 45 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Never thought I would ever want to make a vegetable lasagna. Ever since I tried and liked eggplant parmesan I have changed my feelings about vegetables in pasta. I have seen several versions of roasted vegatable lasagna made with broccoli and carrots, but carrots in lasagna just doesn't sound so good to me. I decided to go with eggplant, zucchini and mushroom for this lasagna. I was thinking vegetable lasagna equals healthy lasagna, but not so much because there is still a load of cheese in it. Can't have lasagna without cheese right?! I did use reduced fat cheese. So it was better than regular lasagna. I did really like this version because it reminded me of eggplant parmesan. It was a delicious new rendition of lasagna to change up an old favorite.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/4 inch thick slices
8 oz portabello mushrooms, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
15 oz carton reduced fat ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzerella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
28 oz can smashed San Marzano tomatoes
28 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
12 no-cook lasagna noodles
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat 2 baking pans with cooking spray. Spread out sliced vegetables on pans and top with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip vegetables and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Combine tomatoes, sauce, wine, oregano and garlic in a large pot. Mix well and simmer until vegetables are ready.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and egg and mix well. Set aside.

Once vegetables are done reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray spread a thin layer of sauce. Top with one layer of noodles. Top with half of ricotta cheese mixture. Top with half of roasted vegetables. Top with 1/3 or remaining sauce. Then top with 2/3 cup of mozzerella cheese. Repeat layers. Top with final layer of noodles, rest of the sauce and cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Take off foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

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Spinach Tortellini with Pesto

If I am in the mood for something light and easy I like to make tortellini with pesto. I don't feel so bad about eating pasta when I use pesto. I usually do not feel as gross after eating it either because it is not super heavy.

When it comes to pesto for the most part I buy it pre-made from the store. Sometimes I will jazz it up a bit by adding crushed red pepper, garlic or parmesan. Tonight I decided to add pistachios.
As you know I watch a ton of Food Network. I was watching Guy's Big Bite one morning and saw him make a pesto with pistachio and rub it under chicken skin. Phil made this recipe (will try to post sometime soon) and I loved the flavor of the pistachio in the pesto.

If you do not have a mini food processor I would highly suggest one. I use mine for chopping up nuts really fine and making pesto (when I have made homemade) or a breadcrumb mixture for meat. So if you are in the mood for an easy and light supper give this one a try!

Spinach Tortellini with Pesto


1 Package Buitoni Spinach Tortellini
1 cup pesto
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Chop shelled pistachios into small pieces. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, pesto and pistachios together until well combined.

Once pasta is cooked in a small bowl combine pasta with 1/4 cup olive oil and pesto. Mix to coat pasta.
Top pasta with parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese.

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Chicken Tetrazzini

Cookbook Recipe #6

My Food Network obsession started with Rachael Ray. I used to watch her a lot when she was on in the afternoons. Then I started to watch other chefs more and more and now I am OBSESSED with the Food Network and the new Cooking Channel.

My parents started getting me the new Rachael Ray cookbooks every year for Christmas, which started my cookbook collection. She is great with making a burger into a pasta and then a soup. I love how she can make anything into something else. I also love Rachael's cookware line. I like how everything is made in color. I have her pots and pans, casseroles and utensils. Her cookware is all very user friendly as well. My favorite is a ladle that has a flat bottom to get up all the yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pan. The yummy brown bits are the best part!

Anyway...enough with my obsession with Rachael's cookware...onto dinner. As much as I love Rachael, Rachael LOVES onions and puts onions in every one of her recipes. So I have to pick recipes that I think will still be great without the onions.

Tonight I chose to make her tetrazzini recipe. She made hers with turkey, but I am not a big fan of turkey breast so I used chicken. I also made mine healthier by using whole grain pasta, which you could not even tell that it was not regular pasta. I have made tetrazzini before but have always used cream of mushroom soup. So this was the first time I have made it from scratch. It definitly tastes better making it from scratch. I love the texture that the breadcrumbs gives to the pasta. Phil said this one is a definite keeper!

Chicken Tetrazzini
Adapted from Rachael Ray Just in Time


1/2 pound whole grain spaghetti
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions. 


While water comes to a boil heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Brown chicken about 5 minutes on both sides (depending on how thin your chicken is pounded will determine how long to brown). 


In another skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and cook sliced mushrooms about 10 minutes until done. 


Once chicken in browned place aside. In the same skillet add 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in white wine and continue to stir for another minute. Add stock and bring to a bubble. Once bubbling stir in sour cream and add mushrooms. 


Cut chicken into thin strips and add to cream mixture. 


In another skillet add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. To butter add breadcrumbs and cook until browned. Once breadcrumbs are browned add parmesan and parsley. 

Add pasta to cream mixture and then top with breadcrumbs. Enjoy!


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Creamy Garlic Noodles

Another one of my food idiosyncrasies that I have overcome is cream sauce. When I was younger I would wipe off the cream sauce on pasta into a napkin because I thought it tasted foamy in my mouth. Now I love creamy sauces, cream soups, creamy pasta. I guess the one good thing about being a picky eater when I was younger is that I feel like I am experiencing so many new great tastes now and I think I enjoy it more then I would have as a kid. My poor mother, between me and my brother, who is also picky, she probably had the hardest time trying to figure out what to make for dinner. 

Tonight's dinner was yet another Pinterest found recipe. The picture of this pasta on Pinterest was just so appetizing. Taking pictures of food for me right now is like taking pictures of the Grand Canyon and then getting home and thinking the picture just does not do it justice. I got a book to read on my Kindle about Food Photography so I am hoping that throughout this process I will also be able to get better at food presentation and making my food look more appetizing. 

I really liked these noodles. They had the perfect amount of garlic and cream. You definitely have to serve these right away as the sauce continues to thicken the longer it sits. As much as I enjoyed this pasta, next time I make it I would probably just have it as a side dish instead of a main dish. I think it would be a perfect side to Italian Sausage or Chicken Parmesan. 

Creamy Garlic Noodles
Adapted from the Cheese Pusher

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

In a pot heat up olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil on medium high heat.

Once broth is at a boil add pasta and cook according to package directions. 

Once pasta is cooked, reduce heat to medium and add parmesan and stir until melted. 

Take off heat and add heavy cream and parsley. 

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Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Sunday's are usually my day to put "healthier" aside and go with total comfort food. I am definitely a comfort and hearty type of cook. During the week I generally try to tone down the comfort style to make our dinners a little better for you.

Pinterest has been a great place for me to find new recipes. It is also the place that got me thinking about starting my own blog. I would click on the recipes that I was interested in making and I would usually be sent to someone's blog. I started scrolling though other recipes of the blogs I was directed to and if I found several I liked I subscribed to the blog. I now receive several blog posts by email and am continually adding more and more. Pinterest directed me to this recipe on the blog "Comfortably Domestic." My husband absolutely loved this dish. He is a firefighter and often has to cook dinner at the firehouse for the guys. I know I hit a home run in the kitchen when he asks me to make a copy of the recipe for him to make at work. I was a little nervous that the chicken was going to be too spicy for me as the dish called for a lot of the Cajun spice. It was delish though. I love the Cajun flavors and this one hit the spot for me.

Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Comfortably Domestic


Ingredients:


4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
Cajun Blackening Spice
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
Olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Italian cheese blend (Asiago, Parmesan)
4 oz herbed goat cheese
Salt
Pepper
1 pound fettuccine


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Cook fettuccine according to package directions for "al dente." Drain and rinse with hot water. 


Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with a paper towel. 


In a large resealable plastic bag put a heavy amount of the Cajun blackening spice. Put all chicken pieces into bag and shake to coat. 


Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear chicken on one side for 3 minutes. Flip to other side and sear for about 2 more minutes. Place seared chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Cover and set aside. 


While chicken is cooking, re-heat the skillet over medium-high heat and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the minced garlic, red and green peppers, and diced tomatoes to the pan. Cook for about five minutes until peppers are done. 


Reduce heat to medium low and add the heavy cream. Stir constantly for 1 minute.


Add the salt, pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Continue to stir mixture until combined for 3 to 4 minutes. 


Remove pan from heat and add the goat cheese and grated Italian cheeses. Stir constantly until sauce is smooth. 


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