“She is crying out for a makeover”
When I was in college, I discovered California Pizza Kitchen. The restaurant had been around for quite awhile at that point, but I (being the sort of person perpetually trying to drop five pounds for sports) never saw the inside of one until college. The pizza was decent, but it was the Chicken Tequila Fettuccine that kept me going back once a week during summer breaks. I hadn’t had a white sauce on my pasta since I hit puberty. It was heavenly.
Luckily for me and my Freshman Fifteen, though, this is also around the time I discovered Shape magazine. It turns out I wasn’t the only woman in love with this spicy, creamy, citrus-y pasta. A 1998 issue of Shape ‘made over’ my favorite pasta and finally let me enjoy it without the lingering guilt.
(The issue it originally appeared in had Jennifer Lopez on the front, post-Selena but pre-JLo.)
For the next month, I’m going to take ‘naughty’ restaurant favorites and make them over into more healthful options.
So, a quick comparison between the original and the lightened version:
Calorie-wise, a single serving of CPK’s Chicken Tequila Fettuccine isn’t too bad at 497 calories — but it also contains 29 grams of fat and 159mg of cholesterol.
The lightened version has 499 calories per serving, but just 2.8g fat and 57mg cholesterol. I usually toss in more bell peppers than the Shape recipe calls for, expanding the number of servings to eight rather than six, so the total calories in my version are probably even slightly lower than the nutrition info indicates.
Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
Ingredients:
1 lb spinach fettucini
1 1/4 lb chicken breast, in 3/4″ strips
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp gold tequila
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 EACH medium red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, thinly sliced
Cook pasta according to package directions. Marinate chicken in reduced-sodium soy sauce for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray; add garlic, jalapenos and all but 2 tbsp cilantro. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add stock, tequila and lime juice. Bring to boil, cook 10 minutes until liquid nearly evaporates.
In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 tbsp milk. Add mixture and remaining milk to cilantro. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened; do not boil. Remove from heat.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; saute onion and bell peppers over medium-high heat until onion is translucent. Remove veggies and set aside. Add chicken and soy sauce to skillet; cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add cilantro sauce and onion mixture; stir over medium heat until heated through. Toss with pasta and reserved cilantro. Serves 8.
Per serving: 499 Calories, 2.8g fat, 57mg cholesterol