Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

This is another recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. I was drawn to it because I love creamy sauces on pasta, and this sauce was gluten free from the get-go! It was everything I had hoped it would be :-). I had left over half and half and Parmesan cheese from recipes last week, which made this really cheap too!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
salt and pepper
2 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c heavy cream (I used half and half and it was delish still)
1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 pound fettuccine (I used my gluten free Penne noodles)
2 cups frozen peas (I only threw in a handful)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped fresh basil
*Mike suggested the addition of some bacon and it was SOOOO good! I just put in 3 slices, chopped)

Directions:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add garlic to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until almost al dente. Add peas to pot and cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain pasta and peas, and return to pot. Add sauce, cheese, basil, and reserved chicken to pot and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
(*I probably added even more than 1/2 c. water, maybe because I used half & half instead of cream? Just thin until desired...it still tasted great!)