Pepper-Chicken Fettuccini Toss

This is a weeknight dump-skillet dinner done right. Strips of chicken breast cook with three colors of bell pepper, a chunky sliced onion, and fresh mushrooms, then marry with hot fettuccine and a quick toss of parmesan. Every component has texture and color, so it looks better on a plate than it has any right to.

Cut everything thin and uniform. Chicken and peppers in strips of the same thickness means they finish together instead of having the chicken go dry while the peppers are still crunchy.

Do not cook the vegetables limp. Eight to ten minutes over medium heat is enough to take the raw edge off while keeping real bite in the peppers. Any longer and the colors turn dull and the peppers go mushy.

Fettuccine works because the flat noodles pick up the pepper-chicken mixture the way thinner spaghetti cannot. Use fettuccine al dente. The heat of the skillet finishes it in the last toss.

Kitchen Tips

• Reserve a half cup of starchy pasta water before draining. A splash tossed with the parmesan creates a glossy sauce that clings to the noodles.
• Add the parmesan off the heat. High heat turns the cheese grainy and clumps it on the bottom of the skillet.
• Bell peppers brown better when not crowded. If your skillet is small, cook the peppers first, remove them, then cook the chicken, and combine at the end.
• Swap the generic garden-herb blend for Italian seasoning or a pinch each of dried basil, oregano, and thyme if that is what you have on hand.

Variations

• Use chicken thighs instead of breast for more forgiving cooking and deeper flavor.
• Add a cup of halved cherry tomatoes with the mushrooms for a lighter, summery version.
• Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a scatter of fresh basil right before serving for a brighter finish.