Easy Eats: One-pan Chicken Fettuccine

Too busy to boil pasta? Sam Parish shows how to skip a step and still end up with a creamy, chickeny, carb-y dream dinner. Photo: Sam Parish

Weeknights can be a whirlwind, and that extra step of boiling pasta can feel like a hurdle. So why not simplify? This recipe tosses everything into one pan, saving you time and dishes. Plus, with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and a handful of spinach, it's a delicious way to pack in flavour and nutrients.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced sundried tomatoes + 2 Tbsp of their oil
• 200g button mushrooms
• 40g butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 40g pancetta, sliced
• 500g chicken tenderloins
• ¼ cup (60ml) white wine
• ¾ cup (180ml) cooking cream
• 4 cups (1 litre) just boiled water
• 400g fresh fettuccine (mine had a cooking time of 6 minutes - check the back of the pack)
• 20g parmesan, finely grated
• Handful of spinach, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Line a tray with baking paper. Toss oil, tomatoes and mushrooms on tray and transfer to a preheating oven set to 200C. Bake for 20 minutes while you prepare the pasta.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a deep-sided wide saucepan/fry pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook briefly until aromatic. Slash chicken tenderloins with a sharp knife (this increases the surface area) and add to pan along with pancetta. Cook, turning halfway, for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.

Increase heat and add wine, stirring with a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until reduced slightly. Add cream and water and bring to the boil. Add pasta and cover with a lid. Cook for 2 minutes to soften pasta slightly then remove lid and cook, stirring frequently, for a further 4 minutes or until pasta is cooked through and taken on some of the sauce.

Remove from heat and stir through roasted mushroom mixture, spinach and parmesan. Stand for 5 minutes to rest and let the sauce thicken. Give a good stir and season to taste, then serve.

Photo: Sam Parish

Sam Parish is a Christchurch-based chef, writer and food stylist. Her food philosophy is ‘maximum of flavour, minimum of fuss’ (MOFMOF), which means she’s all about cooking smarter, not harder. She’ll be sharing delicious, fast, family-friendly food ideas every Wednesday (after road-testing them on her own whānau, of course). Sam’s first book, Cook Me is out now.