Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Slurpin' Good Blackened Chicken Fettucini! (It's gluten free, too!)

Mmmm ... here you go! Open wide and take a bite! My husband did his ravenous bear impression and chowed down on this recipe. CHOWED DOWN. I can tell when he really likes something because a) he sets a world record at speed consumption of the food, and b) he gets up and serves himself seconds. I suspect he likes to refill his own plate because he can pile on more food than his loving wife who doesn’t want him to overeat. I’ve been instructed to place this recipe on his repeat list.Do you maintain a “repeat” list? You know what I mean ... the lofty list of recipes that the family will actually eat again with gusto. The problem here is that although my husband all but licked his plate clean twice, the children in my life were not so enthusiastic. My girls did eat it without complaint and actually asked for seconds of the chicken. My son, well, he told me he wasn’t very hungry. Yeah, like I’m gonna buy that one. (eye roll) My son is not a fan of sauce. He’s not a fan of food groups that touch. This recipe does both. Despite his displeasure, I have absolutely no leftovers of any aspect of dinner. Therefore, this will get made again ... I’ll just keep the boy’s portion separate.

Credit for this recipe goes to Guy Fierri from Food Network. It’s full flavored, creamy, and delicious. If you like creamy, delicious food, this one’s will make your repeat list, too! Like most of us do, I did modify it just a bit.Plus, I made mine gluten free by using Tinkyada brand rice fettucini. See how lovely the rice pasta cooks up? Of course, if gluten is your friend, you can always use regular fettucini. This recipe is easy to make, comes together really fast (so have everything ready first!), and would also qualify to serve company. YUM!

The ingredients call for Blackening Seasoning. Have you "blackened" anything before? I’ve never made anything blackened before. Truth be told, I don’t even know if this qualifies as blackened because I ended up grilling it. Uh oh, I can hear the sirens from the the seasoning police now. Hey, officer, it was hot inside and outside, so I opted for cooking outside. Perhaps I could bribe them with a bite of this. Back to the seasoning ... I decided to make my own rub! I’m so glad I did; it’s "money" as Guy says.

Ingredients
• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I brined mine first)
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• 1 cup blackening spice (I made my own and used less than called for)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 baby zucchini, halved, grilled and sliced (my garden addition)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine (I used gluten free fettuccine – awesome!)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions
Before you begin, make sure all the ingredients are chopped and ready to go as this recipe comes together rather quickly. Also note that I grilled the zucchini at the same time as the chicken. While preparing your chicken, cook your pasta according to package directions. I used gluten free rice fettuccine and loved it. It needs to boil for about 10 minutes.

Pat the breast dry and dredge them in the blackening spice. Drizzle with most of the canola oil, saving some for the zucchini, and rub it in. Set aside while you heat up the grill. Fire up your grill to medium high heat. Grill chicken for about 4 minutes on each side, place on a plate and cover with foil while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Halve your baby zucchini, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining canola oil, and grill about 5 minutes per side. Remove and let sit while the chicken is sitting. Slice into bite sized pieces. I grilled these at the same time as the chicken.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes. Slice your chicken on the bias into medallion sized slices, and add them along with the zucchini to the pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta. Garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Here is the recipe for the Blackening Seasoning. I LOVE this spice. It’s not too hot in the heat department, and it smells terrific. This would go great on fish, too. YUM. I found this recipe on About.com and I’m so pleased with it.

Ingredients:
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika (I used smoked paprika)
• 4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:
Combine ingredients. Put in a jar and store in a cool dark place. Shake jar well before each use.I just made a paper cone and spooned it into a recently empty spice jar. I love re-using jars in this way.Do you date your spices? I do. That way if something gets shoved to the back of the drawer, I know at a glance if it’s still palatable!

This mixture was, in my opinion, the star of this recipe. The aroma was so enticing, and the texture just blended right in ... no bits of unwanted texture anywhere. I really enjoyed concocting my own mixture. What’s your favorite spice mixture?

17 comments:

Marjie said...

Did you peer into my kitchen? I made chicken tonight, too, although mine was sort of a cross between Coq au Vin and Chicken Marsala. Served with angel hair, poor Thor didn't see much. I always re-use spice jars. I buy big containers and transfer them into smaller ones. Amazing how fast a pound of oregano goes in this house *sigh*. Your cream sauce looks great. Your son can eat at my house, where food is sauce free, but you are free to add your own. That is, when he's not coming over for waffles.

Deborah said...

Not a fan of sauce??? He wouldn't fit in well at my house! This looks amazing!

Mickle in NZ said...

Haven't come across blackened chicken Before, only fish. "Blackened usually refers to the spice mix. In NZ they tend to overdo the spicy peppery heat. This looks like a glorious alternative.

Laughed at your son liking his food items to be separate - as a child I used to do so with a roast dinner and would eat all of one item before the next. I always started with the peas!

grace said...

i still separate my food and usually eat things one at a time. it's a quirk.
this recipe is amazing--so much cream, so little time. :)

Pam said...

Who wouldn't want seconds of this creamy pasta. The blackened seasoning would make it extra tasty to me!

Jennifer said...

Wow that looks delish, another addition to my never ending folder of "stuff I gotta make". I have blackened fish once, thats about it! BTW, it is MOONNNEEEYYYYY! LOL

Anonymous said...

as a fellow cheese lover, I thought you might like this fun article on parmigiano reggiano -- enjoy!

http://onthebutton.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/name-cheese-bank/

Anonymous said...

Guess what? It's now chicken night here!

pam said...

I'm making some silly vegetarian pasta tonight, and now I want this. Really badly!

DayPhoto said...

It is ALWAYS so much fun to come here and see what I am cooking for supper tonight!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Maria Verivaki said...

i love the sound of that spice mixture and i'm very keen to try it - those colours in the spice mixture look dazzling!

Cathy said...

Oh my gosh, the sauce is the best part. And the spice rubs sounds delicious and so versatile.

My grandchildren always separate their food. It always makes me chuckle.

Robynn's Ravings said...

Do you know how many of your recipes I drop into my "Recipe Favs" file? I always write your name and the date you posted so I never forget when you and I are eating together! This looks SO good. And yes! I do reuse my spice jars. I buy organic spices when I buy and I love the jars. Then I can buy the cheaper, paper packaged organic spices later and refill. Mmmmmmm. This will be added on next week.

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm really impressed! I love this! Ben doesn't do creamy, but I think he'd eat this!

noble pig said...

Yep sounds like all the complaints I get here too but yeah this looks good...wow, that sauce!

theUngourmet said...

I have never dated my spices. My dad wouldn't let me. ;0)

I love blackened chicken and I love Guy! Great recipe!

Spryte said...

OMG YUM!

That looks AWESOME!!