Nutty Chicken Alfredo with Farfalle

Farfalle pronounced far-FALL-lay is one of those words that just rolls off your tongue. It is fun to say, fun to eat, and as you will learn, it is very fun to cook. Farfalle is commonly known as “bow tie pasta” because of its shape, but literally it translates to "butterfly" in Italian. It is often used in pasta dishes that use a cream sauce, in pasta salads or in dishes such as casseroles, since the pasta bakes and holds its shape well.

SERVES 2
Ingredients:

• 3 cups farfalle
• 8 cups water
• .5 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• .25 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 nectarine, coarsely chopped
• 1.5 cups alfredo sauce
• 2 jiggers Nocello® walnut liqueur (or other nutty liqueur of choice)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups chicken stock
• extra virgin olive oil (for the skillet)
• dash of salt
• dash of freshly ground pepper

Cookware/Utensils:

• saute or chef pan
• medium skillet or fry pan
• stockpot
• colander
• cooking spoon (wood, nylon or other heat resistant material
• tongs
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife

Place water in stockpot and over high heat bring to a boil. Once there is a rolling boil place farfalle into the water and cook until al dente.*** Strain and return to pot.

Add chicken stock and chicken breasts to the saute pan and cook over medium heat. Turn chicken every 2 or 3 minutes to cook thoroughly. Preheat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion, pepper and nectarine. Cook for 3 minutes and reduce to a low heat. Add alfredo sauce, liqueur and peanut butter stirring constantly until all of the ingredients mix together to form a sauce.

Remove chicken from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into half inch pieces. Place sauce and chicken into pot with pasta. Stir all three components together over a medium heat. Continue to stir together for 3-5 minutes. Serve warm.

***Pasta is referred to as al dente when there is a slight resistance against your teeth. If it's brittle it needs more time. If it's mushy, you've cooked it too long.