Chicken Alfredo Classico

This is a fairly easy meal to make if you have everything cooking at one time: sauce, noodles, and chicken. The recipe for the Alfredo sauce was developed over several tries, but is finally just the right blend of ingredients for a taste that is perfetto (and will leave some leftovers!). You can definitely spice up this meal with some fruits and veggies added in addition to the chicken! If you're really not feeling up to making your own sauce, a jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce will work almost as well, but if you ask me, there's always something that's a little better and more classy about a homemade meal.

Ingredients:
-Sauce:
   -1/2 cup butter
   -1 package (8oz) cream cheese
   -1 cup half-and-half
   -1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
   -1/4 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
   -2 pinches of pepper
-1 chicken breast
-1 box Rigatoni pasta
-1 pinch of parsley


What to Do:
   Sauce

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (on a medium stove-top burner setting). Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the 8oz of cream cheese. (It's easier if you cut up the cream cheese and butter if it is the stick version so that they melt quicker.)
2. Mix the butter and cream cheese well together. Add the cup of half-and-half, Parmesan cheese (I like to grate my own!), garlic powder (optional), and pepper. Stir all of the ingredients until they are mixed well together.
3. After mixing, turn the burner down to low and let the pan sit for about a minute or until it's thickened a little. Stir about every 20-30 seconds. Then, remove the pan from the burner and set it aside so it can finish thickening.

   Chicken

1. Fully cook 1 chicken breast.
2. Cut the breast into slivers/slices and finish browning the chicken on a stove-top pan.

   Pasta (al dente)

1. Cook desired amount of pasta on the stove top (al dente).
2. Follow the directions on the back of the box for cooking the various types of pasta. (I usually fill a saucepan half way with water and let it come to a boil. Then, I pour in half of the box of pasta and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are softened.)

After each section of the meal has been cooked, put the pasta on a plate and pour the desired amount of sauce over the pasta. You can then add the chicken to the mix as well. Sprinkle a pinch of parsley over the plate for color and a little extra flavor. Enjoy!

College Contessa Rating: Corporate Pump