Chicken Alfredo

I've always been wary of Alfredo recipes.  They always end up too heavy, too rich, and too nausea inducing.  Plus I have no reason to keep heavy cream in my fridge.  Except the obvious. 

Right off get some water boiling for pasta (with salt!)  I tried to scale this recipe down for just two of us but I still ended up with enough for four so use caution when planning with pasta!  It multiplies when you're not looking.

Then mince up a clove of garlic

and saute it for a minute in a medium sauce pan with 3 Tbs of butter.

And if you use the same knife that you used to cut the broccoli then you can leave broccoli bits all over your butter just like me.

Say that three times fast!  Broccoli bits all over your butter.  Broccoli bits all over your butter.  Broccoli bits all over you butter. Now we just need a cauldron and we're in business!
 

Drop in 1/2 a package of cream cheese.  Roughly 6 Tbs.  Mix this around with a whisk until the cream cheese is melted.

Warning!  This will look scary!  The cream cheese gets melty but it's not smooth.  It won't mix with the butter yet and you'll wonder if I've tricked you into making a demented version of cottage cheese.  But stay the course!  It gets better.  I promise.  (hee hee)

Now's a good time to get the chicken started.  Cut up 1 chicken breast into strips and give them a good dose of salt and pepper.  Place the pieces in a skillet over med heat with 5 Tbs of water and 1 Tbs of soy sauce.  The soy sauce gives a little flavor and the water lets you steam/poach/saute the chicken without the need for extra oil!  Hooray!  Keep a small cup of water on hand to douse the chicken if it dries out before it's done cooking.

Back to the sauce.  When the cream cheese is melted and at the height of it's scariness slowly pour in 1 Cup of milk while stirring.  That's right.  Milk.

The cream cheese should immediately start to blend with the butter and make your sauce a bit thin.  Keep stirring it over medium heat until it's thick enough for your tastes.

Now you can add 1/2 Cup of Parmesan.  I used shaky cheese.  It's almost the same stuff.

Next comes the seasonings!  Hooray for seasonings!

Black pepper is a must.  And lots of it.  A dash of oregano, basil and nutmeg and you're set.  Don't bother with salt, the Parmesan (shaky cheese) is salty enough.  Keep this warm over low heat while you finish assembling the rest of your meal.

Lightly steamed broccoli let you pretend that you're health conscious and smart.  That's why I always add it to my pasta.  Oh, AND it's delicious.

This is by far the best homemade Alfredo I've ever had.  It was creamy and flavorful but still light and not heart-attack causing.  And with the different parts all cooking at the same time it only took about 15 minutes to make!  Win-win-WIN.





Alfredo Sauce:
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tbs butter
6 Tbs cream cheese
1 C milk
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
black pepper, oregano, basil and nutmeg to taste

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the cream cheese and stir with a whisk until soft and melted.  Slowly add the milk and continue stirring until the cream cheese is completely combined with the butter, then keep it over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add Parmesan cheese and seasonings to taste then serve over warm pasta.