Chicken Tequila Lime Fettucine

Its Valentine's day and I'm pretty much spending it with just my daughter. Hubby and I sort of celebrated Valentine's day last weekend and gave gifts to each other because we knew that he had to work and go to class this evening. But that doesn't mean I can't make a nice dinner waiting for him when he gets home.

I have come to love California Pizza Kitchen's Chicken Tequila Lime Fettuccine and order it often when we're there. I was craving some one day and decided to look up the recipe and found this one from CDKitchen.com that I wanted to try out for Valentine's Day. This dish was surprisingly easy to make. But I found it to be a bit bland so I modified the recipe a bit and added some salt and it came out delicious. Hope hubby likes it. And I hope everyone has a great Valentine's day.

1 lb. Spinach Fettuccine (or you can probably use plain fettuccine)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, plus 2 Tbsp. more for garnish

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp. tequila

2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/4 lb. chicken breast, diced 3/4 inch

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1) Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.

2) Cook 1/3 cup cilantro, garlic and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoon butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add chicken broth, tequila and lime juice. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency. Set aside.

3) Pour soy sauce over diced chicken. Set aside for 5 minutes.

4) Cook onion and peppers with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables have wilted, add soy sauce and chicken mixture and toss.

5) Add reserved tequila lime mixture and cream. Season with salt. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until chicken has cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. Toss-in drained pasta and remaining cilantro. Serve hot.

**Note: you can substitute the cream with half & half to make the dish lower in fat, but keep in mind that the sauce will be thin.