Chicken and Shrimp Fettuccine

Even though I love eating out, one type of food I rarely order when I go out to eat is pasta. I usually find the pasta they serve in restaurants too rich and creamy. It’s super tasty, but for some reason, I feel guilty for ordering it even though I don’t order healthy options either. I guess I prefer to make pasta the way I like it…

My chicken and shrimp fettuccine recipe below is relatively healthy (except the butter, but you can swap it out for olive oil) and it is simple to make. I like making pasta with toppings I am craving that day (or maybe it depends more on what I currently have in the fridge). Swapping up the meat, vegetables, seafood, and/or type of pasta changes it up. It will be like a whole new dish. 🙂

Recipe

Level: Easy | Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• Chicken breast (as much as you prefer) pre-seasoned overnight with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon seasoning
• Shrimp (as much as you prefer)
• Raw baby spinach (as much as you prefer)
• 1 pkg of whole wheat fettuccine (or regular fettuccine, if you prefer)
• 1.5 tbsp of butter (or olive oil if you want a healthier option)
• 1 tsp of minced or chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp of pesto
• 2 tsp of honey mustard dressing
• Salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Cayenne or chili pepper (if you like spicy)

Chicken

1. Grill, bake, or pan-fry the chicken breast. We grilled it on a George Foreman grill.
2. Near the end of the cooking process, baste the chicken with 2 tsp of honey mustard dressing on both sides and cook the chicken for another 2 min.
3. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Pasta

1. Boil water, with a pinch of salt, in a pot big enough to fit 1 package of fettuccine. 
2. When the water starts boiling, add the fettuccine.
3. Boil it for as long as the instructions say on the package (and whether you prefer your pasta al dente or softer).
4. Drain with a colander and put the drained pasta back in the pot. 
5. Add 1 tbsp of butter and coat the pasta with it.

Shrimp and Spinach

1. Heat a sauté pan to medium heat.
2. Put 1/2 tbsp of butter on the pan.
3. After the butter melts, add 1 tsp of minced or chopped garlic and the shrimp.
4. When the shrimp turns light pink, put the spinach in and cook until the spinach is completely wilted and the shrimp is no longer translucent.

Final Directions

1. Add the cooked fettuccine and chicken to the sauté pan with the shrimp and spinach, and stir.
2. Add 1 tbsp of pesto, salt, black pepper, and cayenne or chili pepper to taste, and stir.
3. Cook for another 2 min on low heat.
4. Take off heat and serve. Bon appetit!

If you want a good side dish to make with this, check out my Air-Fried Jalapeño Poppers blog article.