Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Surprisingly, it’s sometimes the simplest recipes that are the best!  This is an example of such a recipe.  There’s nothing too fancy or too complicated about this recipe but it is really tasty!  It’s just a combination of basic  ingredients that most of us keep on hand, and that’s one of the appealing things about it! You can have the chicken Alfredo prepared in just a little more time than  it takes to cook and drain the pasta.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cut in bite-sized pieces

2-4 cloves garlic, grated (I used 2)

8 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

4 Tablespoons butter

1  1/2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (it’s important to use fresh, it makes a huge difference in taste!)

Fettuccine pasta (or pasta of your choice)

Cook the pasta as directed on the package.  While it’s cooking, prepare the chicken.  I saved time and purchased chicken breast strips (or tenderloins) and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the chicken.

Saute 0ver medium-high heat until done.  Add the grated garlic (you can grate it directly into the skillet) and continue to cook for an additional minute or so, just until garlic is fragrant.  Watch closely, garlic burns easily.

Stir in the drained mushrooms, half and half (or cream) and fresh Parmesan cheese.

Add freshly ground pepper to taste (you probably won’t need to add salt, since the Parmesan is quite salty, but add it at this point if you think it needs it).

Once the cream and Parmesan cheese are added, continue to simmer until the sauce is creamy and the cheese has mostly melted.  Do not bring to a full boil, just a slow simmer.

Serve over hot cooked pasta.   Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.