Shredded chicken breast, mushrooms, and kale come together in this quick and cozy fettuccine, finished with Parmesan cheese and an optional splash of cream for added richness. Most of the ingredients here are pantry staples; kale and white mushrooms can last up to a week in the fridge if stored properly, so it’s easy to have what you need on hand for a fast, tasty weeknight dinner.

Cooking the chicken breast whole instead of cut up

Cooking a chicken breast whole helps it retain moisture, since there’s less exposed surface area to dry out in the pan or oven. When cut into chunks first, the smaller pieces cook quickly and can easily turn firm and dry before the center is done. Shredding the chicken after cooking allows it to absorb sauce more evenly, giving you tender strands that stay juicy and integrate seamlessly into the pasta.

Boiling the pasta

To cook the six ounces of dried fettuccine, you’ll need to boil roughly two quarts of water. And don’t forget to salt it — two teaspoons of kosher or fine sea salt is recommended. Not only does this season the noodles from the inside, but it also slows the swelling of the starch as it hits the hot water, resulting in a less sticky pasta.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• Most of the creamy texture and flavor of this kale-mushroom sauce comes from extra-virgin olive oil, so be sure to use a quality bottle.


• If you need to clean the mushrooms, wipe them gently with a damp cloth rather than rinsing, which can make them too wet to properly brown.


• Reserve some of the cooking water when draining the pasta. It’s good to have pasta water on hand in case the mixture needs to be loosened up a bit.