Who needs fast food when you can make something this tasty and affordable so quickly – chicken mushroom Alfredo linguine. The pasta Alfredo invented back in 1914 by Alfredo di Lelio doesn’t normally have chicken or mushrooms added but if he could taste this version we think he would forgive the liberty.

chicken mushroom Alfredo linguine

• 6 Ritchies thigh fillets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 25g butter
• 300g button mushrooms, sliced
• 300g fresh Linguine or other pasta
• 300ml cream
• 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaved parsley
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• shaved Parmesan

chicken mushroom Alfredo linguine method

Trim the chicken thighs, removing any fat and cut them in strips no more than 1 cm wide. Cook the pasta following the pack instructions for ‘al dente’ (just cooked) drain and keep about ½ a cup of the cooking water.

In a large sauté or frying pan on a medium, high heat, add the mushrooms, butter and the olive oil. Fry for about 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are slightly coloured. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat up to high. Add the chicken to the pan and fry stirring every now and again (if you need to, add a little more olive oil to stop the chicken sticking) until the chicken is lightly browned and just cooked through.

Turn the heat down to medium, return the mushrooms to the pan with the cooked chicken and the cream. Bring to a fast simmer. Add the grated Parmesan, 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Check the seasoning, stir in the cooked pasta. If you feel the sauce needs to be a little looser (runnier) add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water. Serve on a large sharing plate, with a scattering of chopped parsley and a few shavings of parmesan.

Serves 4. Preparation 10 minutes. Cooking time 20 minutes.