Recipe of the Week: Pesto Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Today is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day! 

Traditionally fettuccine noodles are tossed with butter, cream and Parmesan cheese with vegetables, seafood or chicken added on top.

Although fettuccine with butter and Parmesan cheese was first mentioned in a fifteenth century cookbook, it wasn't until 1908 that fettuccine Alfredo was created by Alfredo Di Lelio who made it for his wife, Ines after she gave birth to their son and trying to get her appetite back.

The original dish was made of rich butter, three kinds of flour and Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.  In 1914, Di Lelio opened a restaurant under his first name and served the dish on his menu.

The dish became popular after Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford ate at the restaurant on multiple occasions during their honeymoon in 1927.  The international press heard the story and spread it around the world.  Within a year, the recipe for the dish appeared in American cookbooks.

Di Lelio sold is restaurant in 1943 and opened a new restaurant in Rome with his son.  It became the go-to place for Americans traveling abroad in the 1950's, and most came to sample the dish.  By the mid 1960's, it became a staple of Italian-American restaurants, but most could not recreated the dishes Italian butter, so heavy cream was used.  

Today the dish is still popular around the world and in Italy where it is often called Fettuccine al burro.

I love this dish with the added pesto and chicken.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Pesto Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 x chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon basil pesto

fettuccine pasta

3 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

Directions:

On a pre-heated grill, cook chicken breasts 5-6 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the middle.  Slice chicken into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl.  Top with pesto and stir together.  Cover and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside to keep warm.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter then add garlic and cook garlic for 1 minute being careful not to burn. Stir in flour until smooth and cook mixture for 1 minute.  Slowly add broth, milk and cream, stirring constantly until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add pesto chicken to the cream sauce and the add cooked pasta.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Top with chopped basil and serve immediately.