Chicken Mushroom and Broccoli Alfredo

My husband seems to think I am Top Chef and I can cook anything. In my kitchen I am breaking away from the use of cans and glass jars in my cooking. Making meals with fresh ingredients really make a difference. Last night he requested Chicken Alfredo. 

Jay always tricks me into making new fresh meals by saying “I wonder if you can make Chicken Alfredo with all fresh ingredients?” Between my competitive spirit and will to eat I always accept the challenge.

What you will need…

Chicken Breast or Boneless Chicken Thighs
Broccoli Fresh or Frozen (Best if Fresh)
Garlic Fresh
Flat Leaf Parsley
Mushroom
Parmesan Cheese Fresh
Heavy Cream
Milk
Flour
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Cayenne (optional)

Prep…

This whole meal goes pretty quickly if everything is cut and shredded in advance.

I started with 2-3 nice sized chicken breast which I then cubed and sat to the side. Now you may need more chicken breast if they are small. You want to cut them into even bite size pieces. Once you have the chicken all cut you want to sanitize. Anytime you are handling chicken you want to beware of salmonella. Make sure all items that had raw chicken on them are cleaned along with your hands before handling other food in this recipe.

Shred about a 1 cup and half of Parmesan cheese then sit to the side. Chop the broccoli into small florets, cut a pint of mushrooms, and lastly mince one clove of garlic. Once you have everything minced and chopped it’s time to move to the stove.

Cooking Time…

Take a large skillet then add a chunk of butter with 2 tsp of olive oil until frothy on medium heat. Once you see the foam from the butter rise add the chicken cubes. While the chicken cubes are in the skillet, season them with 1 tbsp of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the seasonings evenly over the chicken. Toss in the pan until the chicken is golden brown and done. When the chicken is golden brown remove from the skillet and into a cleaned bowl.

In the same skillet add a little water and deglaze the fond from the pan. Fond is the meat drippings that are stuck at the bottom of the skillet. Scrap up the flavor from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Then add the broccoli with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss the broccoli in the chicken infused water until desired texture of doneness. Then remove broccoli into the same bowl as cooked chicken cubes.

At this point the water has cooked out and you will need to add more oil and butter. Once this is added put minced garlic and mushrooms. Toss in the pan until you see the butter gives the mushrooms some color and the garlic becomes fragrant. Once you smell the garlic remove and add to the cooked items bowl.

Make Pasta…

Now before we move onto the sauce you should put on your choice of pasta. I used Tagliatelle pasta. This pasta holds up wonderfully to this velvety Alfredo sauce and cooks very quickly.

The Sauce…

Now that the garlic and mushrooms are removed. Add just butter and a tbsp of flour to the pan. Using a whisk cook the flour until it smells nutty. You want to make sure that the raw flavor of the flour has been cooked out before moving onto the next step.

After the raw flour smell has been cooked away add 1/2 cup of cold heavy cream and 1/2 cup of cold milk. Whisk to combine until smooth. If the consistency is to thick just add more milk until desired thickness. Remove the skillet from the heat and add parmesan cheese. With a wooden spoon stir in the cheese until it is melted into the sauce. Once you see that the cheese has melted into the sauce place it back on the heat. The heat should be on medium low.

Re-add the cooked items into the sauce. Incorporate by folding gently into the sauce. Then add a hand full of fresh chopped parsley. Fold it into the Alfredo sauce for a minute then turn off the heat.

Plating…

This dish is best served in a bowl. Take the pasta and neatly place it into the bowl. Then with a spoon pour over the beautiful sauce. If you have extra cheese and parsley use as a garnish. The parsley on top of the dish gives it a freshness and the parmesan gives it that nice bite. If you have any bread hanging around that is good for dipping into the lovely sauce.

My last tip is to make this dish for someone you love and clean the sides of your bowl before serving.

Everyone loves a plate that is handed to them with care. Enjoy the meal!

xoxo