T.G.I. Friday's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, p. 294

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

1 green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

½ white onion, sliced and quartered (1 cup)

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium tomato, chopped

4 to 6 mushrooms, sliced (1 ¼ cup)

1 cup chicken stock or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water

Salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

4 to 6 quarts water

1 12-ounce box fettuccine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium/high heat.

Saute the bell peppers, onions, and garlic in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften slightly.

As the vegetables are cooking, cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.

Prepare a medium-size pan over high heat with the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the chicken shows no pink.

When the vegetables are soft (about 10 minutes) add the chicken to the pan.

Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken stock, ¼ teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, and thyme and continue to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until it thickens.

In the meantime bring the water to a boil in a large pot. If you like, add half a tablespoon of salt to the water. Cook the fettuccine in the boiling water until done. This will take 10 to 12 minutes.

When the noodles are done, drain them and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. 

The butter should melt quickly on the hot noodles. Toss the noodles to mix in the butter.

Serve the dish by dividing the noodles in half onto two plates. Divide the chicken and vegetable sauce evenly and spread it over the top of the noodles on each plate. Divide the parsley and sprinkle it over each serving.

My Rating: 3/5 "This is filling and enjoyable. It's also weird, though, because it's hot without being savory. Like, you can feel the ping from the spices but there's no real flavor behind the ping. Better cooks than me can experiment to make this taste more robust."