cooking with crystal: CPK Tequila Lime Pasta

CPK Tequila Lime Pasta

Say hello to my new FAVORITE dish.

I mean, I am obsessed.

I always order this when we go to California Pizza Kitchen, because well...it is just THAT good.

So far we've made this dish 3 times within the month.

The recipe I found calls for spinach fettucine and the first time around I had a hard time locating it in my store, so I just used regular fettucine.

Then I ended up finding spinach fettucine and we tried it, but i didn't like it nearly as much.

It took away from the flavor of the dish and I wasn't a fan.

So, I recommend using regular fettucine.

You will need:

1 pound dry fettucine (regular or spinach- whatever you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper,

seeds and veins removed if desired

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons gold tequila

2 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/4 pounds chicken breast,

cut into ¾-inch pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

To Make:

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, or according to the package instructions.

Drain, very lightly oil (to keep the pasta from sticking) and set aside.

2. , In a medium saucepan, cook one-third cup of the cilantro (reserve the rest for garnish), garlic and jalapeño with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until aromatic and the garlic is golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the broth, tequila and lime juice.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thickened to a paste-like consistency, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, drizzle the soy sauce over the chicken pieces and set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the remaining butter over medium heat.

Add the red, yellow and green peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have wilted.

Stir in the chicken and soy sauce, then the tequila/lime paste and cream.

5. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, several minutes. When the sauce is done, stir in the fettuccine and remaining cilantro.

6. Serve the dish family-style or plate on individual serving dishes. Serve immediately.