Friday night. Date night at home. Candlelit dinner near the crackling fire, cloth napkins, flowers in a glass vase, pretty dishes, something special for dessert, and no calorie counting – just food so delicious you can’t hold in that big sigh.
Some times it’s worth forgetting all about calories, and just really enjoying something that hangs out on your tongue, causing you to sigh and think of words like:
- Extravagant
- Self-indulgent
- Luxurious
- Sumptuous
- Magnificent
- Deluxe
But reality also hits. I’m busy! My days are packed full, and sometimes I need to get dinner on the table NOW. It’s not impossible to create a lovely and relaxed mood with incredible food – in a hurry.
That’s why alfredo is so popular. Sure, you could open a jar of sauce and still have a nice meal, but when creamy alfredo is so simple to make, and tastes better than any jarred sauce, give this a try.
It’s best to get all the ingredients ready first, because once you start cooking, it will go very quickly.
Cut broccoli into pieces, mince the garlic, cut cooked chicken into bite-sized chunks, and shred the parmesan cheese. Get a pot of water boiling for the pasta, and get the steamer basket ready for the broccoli.
Melt the butter over low-medium heat in a small saucepan, and add the minced garlic. Let this cook for a couple minutes, but don’t allow the garlic or butter to brown. Add the white wine and let the garlic continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the cream, pepper, and nutmeg, and allow to simmer.
Salt the pasta water liberally, and toss the pasta in to cook. (We like Tinkyada’s brown rice linguini — YUM!) At the same time, get the broccoli steaming.
Add grated parmesan cheese to the sauce, and stir to melt.
Drain the pasta – reserving a little of the starchy water – and remove broccoli from heat when it’s bright green and tender-crisp.
Toss all of it, including the chicken, into the same pan, making sure the sauce covers everything. If the sauce is too “tight”, add a couple tablespoons of the pasta water to loosen it up.
Top with additional grated parmesan, if desired.
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Creamy Chicken Alfredo for Two
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Rich, creamy, decadent, and perfect for Date Night
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- 2 cups broccoli tops, steamed
- 2 cups cooked chicken – from the deli, or 2 small breasts grilled
- 6 ounces brown rice fettuchini style pasta – we like Tinkyada brand
Instructions
- Prepare broccoli and chicken by cutting into bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic and grate the parmesan cheese, and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add minced garlic and allow to cook gently for 2-3 minutes (don’t let it brown!). Add the white wine and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, white pepper, and nutmeg, simmering gently for a couple more minutes.
- Bring water to a boil for pasta and salt liberally. Add pasta and cook according to directions on package.
- Put a steamer basket into medium-sized saucepan, and bring 1″ of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and steam for 4 minutes – broccoli should be brilliantly green, tender, but not soft. Immediately remove from the steamer and allow to cool (or plunge into an ice bath for a couple minutes to stop cooking).
- Whisk in the freshly grated parmesan until sauce is smooth. Add in chicken and broccoli, allowing them to warm up.
- Drain pasta, and toss with the sauce, chicken, and broccoli.
- Serve with a side salad and a sparkling moscato or dry brut.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
This is my kind of dinner, and that is precisely why I love Alfredo sauce, it’s simple to make and boy is it ever tasty!
I know, RIGHT?!?