Chicken Pasta Alfredo with Broccoli


One of our favorite places to eat out when we are in Albuquerque or Las Cruces is St. Clair's Bistro, and we usually order Pasta New Mexico, which the menu describes as: "Sautéed chicken breast + hatch green chile + linguini + cream sauce + sun-dried tomatoes + provolone." (And we usually request extra green chiles.)

This is similar to an Alfredo sauce, and since I tripped over a fettuccine Alfredo recipe recipe the other day, I started getting hungry for that. Neither Chuck nor I care for heavy Alfredo sauces, so I found one that used a cream sauce base and adapted it. While I would love to make this with green chiles, time constraints (and the availability of broccoli) called for a slight adjustment this time. However, I think I will plan ahead next time so I can defrost, peel, seed and chop green chiles to substitute in place of the broccoli.

This is adapted from https://flouronmyface.com/easy-homemade-fettuccini-alfredo-sauce/


 

Chicken Pasta Alfredo with Broccoli

Ingredients

  • ~1/2 lb of gluten-free pasta, cooked (time it so it finishes just before the sauce)
  • 2 c broccoli florets
  • 2 small onions, diced
  • olive oil
  • ~5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 large chicken breast, cooked & cubed (we used leftover rotisserie chicken)
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose, gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ¾ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional: Red pepper flakes or Spanish smoked paprika to season at the table

Directions

  1. Fill medium pot with water, and start heating. You will want this ready to cook your pasta by the time you add the flour to the butter in step 4.
  2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in heavy, large-sized pot. You will be adding all of the yummies to the sauce, so you may as well start big. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Cook until translucent, then remove onions to a bowl.
  3. Return pan to heat and melt the butter. 
  4. Stir pasta into boiling water. Remember to stir every few minutes, as gluten-free pasta tends to stick.
  5. Add the flour, garlic, salt & pepper to the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cook a couple of minutes, continuing to whisk, until the garlic is nice and fragrant.
  6. Turn the heat up a bit to about medium-high. Pour the milk in slowly, whisking constantly until all of the milk is integrated and the sauce is smooth.
  7. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium.
  8. Continue whisking for about 3 minutes. At this time, add your broccoli to the pasta water.
  9. Continue cooking and whisking sauce until the it has thickened, about 3 minutes. If it thickens too much while you are waiting for your pasta and broccoli to thicken, you can thin it down with some milk or pasta water.
  10. Drain your pasta and broccoli. Add this mixture, chicken, and cooked onions to the pan with the Alfredo sauce. Mix until the all is evenly coated.
  11. Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of grated Parmesan and some red pepper flakes or paprika, if desired.

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