Chicken and Pea Fettuccine Alfredo

Pasta week comes to an end with Chicken and Pea Fettuccine Alfredo.  Even though I'm  half Italian, a girl can only stand so much pasta in one week!  KK saved this meal for the eve of Hoboken Parade Day to make sure we had a hearty meal to fuel-up for the big day. 

Parade Day is probably the biggest party day in Hoboken.  It's the one day of the year that NYC-city dwellers willingly come to New Jersey.  Most bars are open by 10AM with lines out the door.  In all honesty, some people get a little out of hand.  In fact, after about 25 years, Hoboken actually cancelled it's St. Patrick's Day Parade due to Public Safety concerns.  Hobokenites, however, don't take "no" for an answer, and they created "Lepre-Con," mimicking NYC's "Santa-Con," to ensure the Irish festivities are still observed on  the first Saturday of March.

When it's just the two of us, KK and I usually half the recipe and still have leftovers.  Since the Budnicks were joining us for pre-Parade Day dinner, I decided to cook the whole thing.  I'd say this would've served 5 people perfectly, along with some salad and the rustic Italian Bread we got from Amy's Bread.

Chicken and Pea Fettuccine Alfredo
Adapted from How To: Simplify
Serves: 4-6
Time: 

Ingredients
1 lb chicken, chopped
Italian dressing
1 lb Fettuccine noodles, cooked
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups Alfredo sauce 
1/2 tablespoon dried Basil
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
1.  Place chopped chicken in a Ziploc bag.  Pour enough Italian dressing into the bag so the chicken is coated.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. When the chicken is done marinating, bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook Fettuccine according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, saute the chicken until it's cooked through.  Transfer chicken to a plate, cover with foil.

4.  Coat the bottom of the same skillet with the remaining olive oil. Add onions to the hot pan. Saute until they are translucent (approximately 2-3 minutes).  Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 additional minute. Add the frozen peas and cook for approximately 2 minutes.

5. Pour the Alfredo sauce into the onion and pea mixture and cook until all the ingredients are heated through. Add the dried basil and season with salt and pepper.

6. Add the pasta and cooked into the mixture and toss to coat.