I found a version of this recipe in the 365 Easy One-Dish Meals cookbook by Natalie Haughton. Their version presented a good way to use up leftover chicken or turkey in a fettucine alfredo with a surprising mustard twist. I’ve never been much of a fettucine alfredo person, but I was intrigued by the idea of a mustard sauce and wanted to give this a try.

I ended up altering the original version quite a bit. It originally called for spinach fettuccine, pre-cooked chicken or turkey, and 1/2 cup of chopped roasted red pepper or pimiento. I chose to substitute tagliatelle noodles and leave out the peppers because I knew my spouse wouldn’t eat them. Since I didn’t have leftover chicken or turkey on hand, I cooked up some fresh chicken and added some zucchini to add a vegetable.

The result from this batch could have used more cream and mustard. Of course, it was probably sparse on sauce because I stretched out the rest of the ingredients. As such, I’ve updated the rest of the recipe to hope for a creamier, more mustard-heavy flavor in the future.

1 package tagliatelle, spinach fettuccine, or other wide pasta
salt for boiling
2 tbsp. neutral oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, diced and fat trimmed
2 small zucchini, sliced and lightly salted to leech out excess moisture
2 garlic cloves, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. Dijon mustard

Heat a large pot of water to boil and add 1-2 tablespoons of salt. It’s not rocket science; you just want salt water. Boil the noodles for the amount of time recommended on the package.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat and add the chicken. Let it cook thoroughly and brown a little before adding the zucchini. Let it continue cooking before adding the garlic and reduce heat to low.

Add salt and pepper to the chicken and vegetables to taste.

Add the cream and mustard and stir thoroughly. When the noodles are cooked and drained, add them to the skillet, tossing until well mixed and hot.

Serve immediately.