Fallen Souffle

Thursday was a great day. Not only did I receive my new grown up sofa and loveseat (photos to come) but I also received my brand new washer and dryer! Ahh the sweet sound of a quiet spin cycle. I have never been so excited to do laundry. Maytag is my friend and Best Buy rocks for quick delivery and installation.

So to celebrate, I wanted to make something yummy with the chicken in the fridge. I was looking through the recipes from “Guy’s Big Bite” because I wanted to book mark his pot sticker recipe (I am obsessed with pot stickers!) and I found this recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo. I ran by the store to pick up blackened seasoning and some fat free half and half and I was set.

This is so easy to prepare. The chicken was grilled instead of cooked in a pan because I didn’t wanna smoke up the house and set off the smoke alarm, that thing is so damn sensitive! And with is being absolutely beautiful outside, the grill seemed perfect. I also used spaghetti instead of fettuccine because I have a 5 lbs bag I am trying to use up. As I said I used fat free half and half and this worked well for the most part except it started to separate a bit, though I added a bit more at the end and that helped to bind it a bit as well as the cheese. It didn’t effect the taste but I would imagine the heavy cream would create a creamier sauce. I will have to adjust that next time.

The blackened seasoning makes this dish and adds a nice bit of tingle on your lips. I added a side of steamed broccoli and next time I may cook it all together. With a little bit of tweaking I will perfect this recipe to being a bit more low fat but still “saucy” enough. I may also throw in some spicy italian sausage next time…mmmm.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme’s Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine (I used chicken broth, because I drank all the wine :))
3 cups heavy cream (used fat free half and half here)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

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