Garlicky Chicken Alfredo

If you are looking for a quick, family-friendly, delicious dish, look no farther. This comes together in a snap with only two pans to clean and it’s budget friendly too! I offered this dish as one of the cooking demonstrations for the Cedar Park Young Men’s Service League so be sure to check out my YouTube Channel for this recipe and a couple of others. More videos coming soon.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cut into bite sized pieces)

• 8 Tablespoons butter (divided- 1 Tablespoon for pan to saute, 7 for the sauce)

• 2 teaspoons of garlic (or more if you like it garlicky!)

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend

• 9 oz. fettuccine or other pasta of choice

• ½ cup frozen peas (optional) or your fav. veggie, or chopped bacon, red pepper flakes (1 tsp), make it yours with what you love.

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with water (⅔ full) and 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.

• Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces (note: chicken thighs reheat better because of the fat content in thigh meat vs. breast meat)

• Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter into a large skillet over medium heat.

• Add the pieces of chicken and saute on first side for about 3 minutes (they should be nicely browned) then turn pieces over and saute another 2 minutes.

• Stir in the chopped garlic and saute about 2 more minutes. Don't brown the garlic.

• Add the remaining 7 Tablespoons of butter and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened.

• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling, salted water for 8-10 minutes or according to the package directions.

• Add the mozzarella cheese and optional peas to the saucy chicken and warm though until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

• Drain the pasta and either divide among four bowls or toss the pasta directly into the pan and toss with the saucy chicken mixture.

• Enjoy!