Thai Chicken Fettuccine

Last night I made something that was too good not to share. I’d found this recipe on Pinterest (where else) about a year ago and I’d just now decided to make it. I’m sure glad I did! This is the original, unmodified version that I mostly followed.

Now here’s my version:
1 box fettuccine
1 cup mild salsa
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
½ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
5 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper, cut into short sticks

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

• Bring a pot of water to boil and cook fettuccine according to package directions
• In a microwave safe bowl, mix salsa, sweet chili sauce, peanut butter, orange juice, honey and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Cook in microwave for about 1 minute and let stand.
• Marinate chicken in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
• In a pan on med-hi heat cook chicken with remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce marinade. Add the garlic and peppers after the chicken is fully cooked. Reduce heat, cover and let the peppers wilt. Approx. 5 minutes.
• Add the sauce to the drained and cooked pasta and mix well. Add the chicken and pepper mixture.
• Sprinkle with cilantro when ready to serve.

This was an absolutely delicious surprise. Scott and I both really enjoyed it. We ate much more than we thought we would originally. It should serve about 4 people which was enough for leftovers!

If you are looking to make it a little healthier, since that’s my area of life, here are some other options:

• Instead of regular peanut butter, you could probably use natural PB to reduce some fat and sugar.
• Look for reduced sugar orange juice or use the juice from a real orange.
• We used sweet chili sauce for two reasons. One, we had it. Two, we don’t like spicy foods. It worked perfectly! I have no idea what I’m missing so I have nothing to compare it to. (We bought ours at Trader Joe's but I saw it in the normal grocery store too.)
• Don’t like spicy (like me)? Use a milder salsa.
• Looking for a vegetarian option? Instead of chicken I think cauliflower and more peppers would work great. Or just more peppers, they were the best part. Marinate it all in the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (or more if needed) and allow enough time to soften them in the pan (wilt).
• Use whole grain pasta for a more fibrous option.

This was a great recipe because it took almost no time (approx. 30 minutes) and we had almost all the ingredients. In fact, these were staple ingredients I usually have on hand every day. Next time we don’t know what to make, this might just be our new go to.