I really enjoy Italian food.  You probably have guessed that by now considering the number of Italian dishes I have discussed on my blog.  All week long, I have had a yearning for some tasty Italian without too much fuss.  I wanted it to consist of thin chicken breasts, breaded and sautéed.  I wanted to include prosciutto.  I also wanted to make some pasta and give my first try at a homemade alfredo sauce.  Tonight’s tasty dinner was the result of my wish list and a lot of luck. 

Earlier today, I used the Epicurious app on my iPhone to look up Fettucine Alfredo.  It turns out the ingredients are literally butter, parmesan cheese, pasta water, and a half cup of heavy cream.   So, obviously it’s not a pasta sauce for every day eating and my arteries are a little more clogged tonight, but come on, that’s a simple ingredient list!  

I allowed my nearly two year old to help me bread the very thin sliced chicken breasts I had picked up at the grocery store earlier this week.  It was a fun project for him and though it was quite a mess when we were through, the chicken was ready for my large pan with swirls of hot olive oil and crushed garlic.  To bread the chicken, I dipped each piece in flour, then egg, and finally a coating of Italian flavored panko bread crumbs.  

I brought a saucepan of heavily salted water to a boil and added the “sea shells” pasta I had on hand.  I don’t care too much about pasta shapes, but I do prefer smaller noodles to long ones, especially when serving my son.  The pasta cooked for 11 minutes.  Meanwhile I cut up 4 pieces of prosciutto from the grocery deli.  I let them saute in the pan with the olive oil and garlic for a few minutes.  Then I pushed them to the sides of the pan and added the chicken.  It is a big pan, probably 14″ in diameter and 2″ deep.  I added salt and pepper to the chicken as I let it cook. 

I turned on the oven to 325 and slid in a ceramic serving bowl that had 5 tbsps of butter cut into pieces.  When the pasta finished, I pulled out 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set it aside.  Then I drained the pasta.  By this time, I had checked on the chicken and the butter had melted in my serving bowl.  I pulled it out of the oven and added the hot, drained pasta to the bowl.  Then I added the 1/2 cup of cream and 6oz of parmesan cheese, already shredded.  I tossed for a bit, then added the reserved pasta water.  Some of it globbed on the spoon, but most of it was a beautiful sauce.  I added salt and pepper and tossed until the pasta was completely covered.  

Breaded Chicken with Prosciutto

The chicken finished cooking.  It was very crispy and the juices were running clear.  I pulled each piece out with tongs and added the prosciutto right on top for serving.  

Dinner was delicious, albeit a little off.  I totally forgot to make the light tossed salad I had planned to go with it.  Not a disaster, but it would have completed the meal.  I will definitely make this again.  Next time, I plan to add some basil to the pasta for a little more flavor!