Combine the flavors of fresh vegetables, chicken and Tequila for a delicious chicken tequila dish. Your guests will love this California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Tequila Fettuccine at your next get-together.
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Table of Contents
What Makes This Recipe so Good
This recipe is perfection from start to finish! And not it’s not just because of the tequila (but that doesn’t hurt). The tequila does offer a unique flavor to the sauce but it’s surrounded by other wonderful flavors like cilantro, garlic, and jalapenos.
The chicken is diced into 3/4 inch pieces and marinated in soy sauce. But this dish doesn’t stop there. It’s served with a host of vegetables including red onions, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and green bell peppers.
What Tequila is Best for Cooking
Tequila is a great ingredient for many Latin-inspired foods. After all, the name tequila comes from the town of Tequila, Mexico where this alcohol originated back in 1666.
Tequila adds a spicy, citrus kick to any recipe you create. So what types of tequila work best for cooking?
- Blanco tequila is great for recipes that have a woody, smoky flavor.
- Use Reposado tequila for grilled foods.
Either one works!
Let’s Get Cooking
This California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Tequila Fettuccine is a wonderful dish for the family or for a dinner party.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Spinach Fettuccine
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Unsalted Butter
- Chicken Stock
- Tequila
- Limes
- Soy Sauce
- Chicken Breasts
- Red Onion
- Red Bell Peppers
- Yellow Bell Peppers
- Green Bell Peppers
- Heavy Cream
How to Make Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
- Start with cooking the pasta. This can be made ahead of time, just make sure you cook it al dente.
- In a skillet, combine the cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, and butter.
- Then add the stock, tequila, and lime juice. Bring to a boil until you create a paste-like consistency.
- Meanwhile, marinate the chicken in soy sauce for at least 5 minutes.
- Then cook all the veggies until soft.
- Add the chicken and soy sauce, the tequila paste, and heavy cream.
- Bring to a boil until the chicken has cooked through.
- Toss in the pasta and serve.
CopyKat Tip: When cooking pasta ahead of time, make sure it’s al dente (undercooked). Rinse it and add some oil to it to keep it from sticking. When you are ready to serve, you can reheat it in boiling water to coincide with the finishing of the sauce/topping.
Recipe Notes
- If you like it spicy, you can keep the seeds and veins in while chopping up the jalapeno peppers. If not, just remove them for a milder flavor.
- Serve family-style or transfer to serving dishes, evenly distributing chicken and vegetables.
- The California Pizza Kitchen has a great cookbook: The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook.
More California Pizza Kitchen Copycat Recipes
- Chopped Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette
- CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza
- CPK Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Sedona Tortilla Soup
- Thai Chicken Pizza
Popular Pasta Recipes
- Capellini Pomodoro
- Egg Pasta
- Pasta with Vodka Sauce
- Pasta Rustica
- Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
- Shrimp Parmesan
- Spaghetti Salad Recipe
- Steak Alfredo
Check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best casual dining restaurant copycat recipes here on CopyKat!
Ready to Make this chicken Tequila fettuccine? Let us know what you think about this recipe in the comments below.
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California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry spinach fettuccine (or 2 pounds fresh)
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped (2 tablespoons reserved for garnish/finish)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper (seeds and veins may be eliminated if a milder flavor is desired)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (reserve tablespoon per saute)
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast diced 3/4 inch
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional Garnish
- 1/2 cup corn tortilla strips
Instructions
- Prepare rapidly boiling, salted water to cook pasta. Cook pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes for dry pasta, approximately 3 minutes for fresh. Pasta may be cooked slightly ahead of time, rinsed and oiled and then "flashed" (reheated) in boiling water or cooked to coincide with the finishing of the sauce/topping.
- Cook 1/3 cup cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add stock, tequila, and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency; set aside.
- Pour soy sauce over diced chicken; set aside for 5 minutes.
- Cook onion and peppers with remaining butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- When the vegetables have softened, add the chicken and soy sauce. Toss and add reserved tequila-lime paste and cream.
- Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to boil gently until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick (about 3 minutes).
- When the sauce is done, toss with well-drained spinach fettuccine and reserved cilantro.
- For an optional garnish and a nice crunch, add about 1/2 cup of crisp corn tortilla strips to the salad.
Notes
- If you like it spicy, you can keep the seeds and veins in while chopping up the jalapeno peppers. If not, just remove them for a milder flavor.
- When cooking the pasta ahead of time, make sure it’s al dente (undercooked). Rinse it and add some oil to it to keep from sticking. When you are ready to serve, you can reheat it in boiling water to coincide with the finishing of the sauce/topping.
- Serve family-style or transfer to serving dishes, evenly distributing chicken and vegetables.
- The California Pizza Kitchen has a great cookbook The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook.
Amanda
Can anyone tell me if I can substitute the tequila for something similar to make the flavor the same? I’m an alcoholic, and I don’t have access to tequila. Any suggestions for substitutions?
Stephanie Manley
I would use another type of alcohol like vodka.
Greg Zyn
I have always loved to cook using tequila as it makes the flavor so much better. I have been following your recipe that has used tequila to make the meat or chicken tastier.
TODD
just like I remember it. Delicious!
Judy
I did this dish so many times … my kids love it ! Since we keep kosher I never added chicken .. it’s really test the same .. thank you
Stephanie
I am glad you like it!
Karen Kline-Martin
Wow! Tried this for the family for Sunday dinner. Puts a whole new spin.