Chicken Alla Boscaiola
A creamy and comforting Italian pasta dish featuring chicken, mushrooms, and bacon.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 0.5 pound bacon chopped (about 8 slices)
- 1.5 cups baby Bella mushrooms sliced (about 4–5 ounces)
- 1 cup onions diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic minced
- 1.25 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound fettuccine
- none chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil for the fettuccine.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Allow it to melt and become frothy.
- In two batches, add the chicken pieces to the pan and brown them on all sides for about 3-4 minutes per batch. Avoid overcooking. Once browned, remove the chicken to a plate to cool.
- In the same pan, add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and place it on paper towels to drain.
- Drain off all the bacon fat from the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons for later use.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat and 1 tablespoon of butter back into the pan. Sauté the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until they start to release their liquid. Remove the mushrooms and set them aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of bacon fat and butter to the pan. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Return the mushrooms and their liquid to the pan with the onions.
- Stir in the heavy cream, sour cream, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Once the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens slightly. Then, lower the heat to low.
- Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. When draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the cooked chicken and bacon back into the sauce, stirring to combine. Keep the heat on low to medium.
- Toss in the cooked fettuccine and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes to blend the flavors. If the sauce is too thick, add a little reserved pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve hot, garnished with additional chopped parsley.
Notes
For a lighter version, you can use half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Feel free to add vegetables like spinach or peas for extra nutrition.