Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Alfredo sauce is almost stupidly easy to make. Parmesan, cream and real butter makes for great comfort food and great taste without killing yourself in the kitchen.
This version of Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo uses the normal ingredients but adds cream cheese and fresh garlic. Heavy cream gets replaced with chicken broth and a lighter half and half.
Ingredients:
1 pound fettuccine noodles, follow package directions for cooking
1 chicken, remove meat from bones – any kind of chicken will work
1 head broccoli florets
2 tbsp water
Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce:
1 cup margarine or butter – butter preferred
4 fresh garlic cloves, peel and mince
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1¼ cup half and half
½ cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped – optional
Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions:
Cook the pasta while making sauce so that the pasta is still warm when you’re ready to mix with other ingredients.
Cook broccoli by cooking in microwave with two tablespoons of water and microwave on high until desired tenderness. You can also cook the broccoli on top of the stove. Don’t forget to drain the water.
Put butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Saute garlic for a couple of minutes before adding chicken broth, half and half, and cream cheese. Stir constantly while cooking until the cream cheese melts completely.
Reduce the heat to low. Continue to stir for 15 minutes or so – the sauce needs to thicken. Take off the heat, mix in fresh grated Parmesan, add salt and ground pepper.
Put the broccoli, chicken and cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add Alfredo sauce to bowl and start mixing until combined. Garnish with parsley or fresh ground pepper. Serve.
Tips:
Substitute 12 ounces of frozen broccoli florets instead of using fresh broccoli
I personally don’t like long pasta like spaghetti or fettucine, so I’ll use a short pasta instead.
Save broccoli stems and stalks along with the water you cook them in for vegetable soup.
If you don’t like broccoli, use peas.
