Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo & Blackened Chicken

One night last week I made homemade fettuccine alfredo with blackened chicken, steamed broccoli and salad for dinner, it was delicious if I do say so myself. I typically buy jarred alfredo sauce and add my own spices, sautéed onion and garlic to it but I wanted to try something homemade. I chose to use the Pioneer Women’s alfredo recipe and I do not believe I will ever buy jarred again. The entire meal took forty-five minutes from start to finish and was pretty low maintenance.

Obviously the pasta was not healthy but at least you get away from all the preservatives in jarred sauce this way.

Blackened Chicken

I started with the blackened chicken. I cut one large chicken breast in half, horizontally. I smeared a little olive oil on both sides of each piece. I then mixed together my own seasoning using the following measurements and ingredients:

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp dried thyme

I mixed all the spices together and then rubbed both pieces covering with the season mix.

Heat a large skillet on high heat for four minutes. Once extremely hot place both pieces of chicken into the skillet cooking on each side for one minute. Once seared move to a lightly oiled baking sheet and cook at 350 for five to seven minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breast.

Fettuccine Alfredo

While the chicken was baking I started my pasta. This recipe makes three servings, which goes a long ways especially since I served it with the chicken and sides. My husband and I ate and had plenty of leftover pasta .  

Ingredients

1/2 pound Fettuccine Noodles

1/2 stick Butter

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream together. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. I didn't use more than a pinch of salt since the cheese is pretty salty.

Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bow. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top. Do no stir, just let it mesh together!

Drain pasta and immediately pour into bowl. Keep a small cup of the pasta water aside before draining.

Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.

Toss to combine, thinning with reserved pasta water if necessary.

Serve immediately!                    

                                                                                               

{The Pioneer Woman’s original recipe}

Make sure you get a good Parmesan cheese, this will make all the difference in the world. Plus one block can go a long ways and will keep for a while in the fridge so don’t skimp. It was so tasty and will definitely be a repeat dish in our kitchen.