Reliable Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken and Sweet Peas

Start heating the pasta water over high heat. Don’t add salt or oil.

Prep first: bring out a large saucepan (large enough to hold both sauce and pasta), slice off 2 Tablespoons of butter, open your box of pasta and carton of cream, and slice the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Measure out a 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and warm the frozen peas in hot water to thaw (disregard if using fresh). This way everything finishes at once.

Once your pot of water is at a rolling boil, add the dried fettucine and swirl to fully immerse. Set your kitchen/oven/microwave timer for 13 minutes and cook the noodles until the timer beeps.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in your saucepan till sizzling. Add the full pint of cream and simmer (small bubbles every 1-2 seconds). Once it starts simmering, sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of salt evenly over cream, stir, and simmer again for 2 minutes to allow salt to melt.

Add the black pepper and all of the sliced chicken, stir, and continue simmering for another 3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Check the kitchen timer – you should have around 5 minutes left till the pasta is done. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of parmesan evenly into the saucepan, stir to mix thoroughly, and turn off heat. Add the peas to the sauce.

When the 13 minutes are up, reserve 1/2 cup of the hot water and drain the rest off through a colander (jiggle to completely drain the fettucine). Give the sauce a good stir and then immediately pour the hot pasta into the sauce. Turn and stir the fettucine well to coat all the noodles completely. The sauce will get thicker and richer as you continue to turn the pasta (tongs are great for this). If it looks too thick, add a splash or two of the reserved hot pasta water, and keep turning pasta completely to mix it all in.

Serve immediately, with extra parmesan on the side.