- Hi, guys, welcome back to my channel.
Today I thought it was time for a really decadent
and delicious pasta recipe.
It's getting to that time of year
when we just want something cozy and comforting,
and chicken fettuccine Alfredo is just the ticket. (laughs)
Now, this fettuccine Alfredo is a little bit different
than my original recipe that I posted a few years ago
because we're not gonna be working with heavy cream.
So most often, a classic Alfredo sauce is heavy cream,
Parmesan cheese, and lots of freshly cracked pepper,
which is a great way to go.
And if you wanna go the classic route,
I will link to that video below.
But for this recipe,
we're actually gonna be working with a bechamel sauce.
It also, I think, is just an exercise
in where do you wanna spend the calories?
And for me, I wanna spend it on things
that are gonna also contribute flavor.
So that's gonna be the butter and the Parmesan cheese.
I'd rather kinda load up there
than load up on the heavy cream,
which is good and is gonna give you that decadent texture,
but you're not gonna get a lot of flavor
for the heavy cream, but you guys decide,
and you take the route that best suits you.
So I just have two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts here
that we are going to roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit
for just about 45 to 50 minutes,
just until the chicken is cooked through.
Okay, then once your chicken is done,
I would keep the skin on and on the bone
until you're ready to work with it.
That way it'll just keep it moist and tender,
and it won't dry out.
Now, if you've never shredded chicken breasts
like this before, it's super easy.
All you do is take two forks,
and you can just shred it into bite-size pieces.
Now, I have heard of people taking this
and taking it off the bone
and just throwing it into a KitchenAid mixer
(laughs) and that that shreds the chicken too.
I've never done it that way because I never wanna clean
out my KitchenAid mixer. (laughs)
Okay, so I have all of this chicken shredded here.
We're just gonna set this aside
while we work on our mushrooms.
So I like to use three different kinds of mushrooms,
just because in the fall, I don't know,
I just crave mushrooms.
And I think the different wild varieties
sometimes will just give you the best flavor.
Now, if you're not a mushroom fan,
I know there are a lot of people out there
that do not like mushrooms,
and I am trying to convert you (laughs)
over the last few years.
It's not working, though, on some people.
So if you don't like mushrooms, it's totally fine.
You could actually replace them with either some spinach,
which I would just add to the sauce
in the last few minutes of cooking,
or you could also use broccoli.
People really like chicken fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli.
And if you were gonna do that,
then in the last few minutes of your pasta cooking,
I would just pop them in the pasta water.
That would be the way to do it.
So I have about a cup and a half of portobello mushroom.
Then I also like to use some shiitake mushrooms,
so I've got a cup of shiitake mushrooms just sliced here.
And then for my third mushroom,
I like to use cremini mushrooms.
And the look probably the closest
to a white button mushroom,
but they're a little bit darker.
And from what I've heard,
they have a little bit more nutritional value.
So if that's something you're considering,
there you have it. (laughs)
Okay, so we're gonna use a large skillet,
and I'll get it on a sort of medium-high heat.
And then we're gonna use three tablespoons of butter.
So this is one of the places I like to spend a calorie.
I just think that sauteing mushrooms sometimes
with butter just gives you a richer flavor than olive oil.
And then while your butter is melting,
you can get your thyme ready.
So I have some beautiful fresh thyme here,
and we wanna get a teaspoon of the leaves ready to go
because to our mushrooms we're going
to add some fresh thyme,
you could also use dried if you didn't have fresh,
and some Worcestershire sauce,
which I think those two things
are the most perfect combination with mushrooms.
Okay, this is looking good.
Our butter is nice and melted and foamy,
and it's time to add the mushrooms.
And then the mushrooms will start to absorb all
of this delicious butter, just make them so good.
Now it is time to add a little bit of salt,
a little bit of freshly cracked pepper,
and then we are going to throw in the thyme.
There we go.
These look so good.
And then our Worcestershire sauce.
Add two teaspoons. There we go.
See, our mushrooms are done.
That's all we have to do.
Now let's get to work on our sauce.
Okay, so for our bechamel sauce,
we are going to add two tablespoons of butter
to a large skillet.
And I like to use a large skillet
because we are ultimately going
to toss the pasta in this pan,
so it's good if it's pretty deep.
Now, one thing about bechamel sauce
is you wanna make sure you have everything measured out
because the process happens pretty quickly.
I can't tell you how many times when I was starting to cook,
I would measure as I went, and that was a horrible strategy
because butter would be burning
while I was out measuring the flour,
and then I had to go get the milk and all that.
So if you're just learning to cook,
have it all measured out ahead of time.
It will totally lessen the stress. (laughs)
Take it from me.
Okay, so now that our butter is nice and sizzling,
we can then add our flour.
So I'm adding two tablespoons of flour,
so equal parts butter to equal parts flour.
Cook it for about a minute or so,
just to cook off any of that flour taste.
And then we're going to add the milk.
So this is another little shortcut that I take
to save a few calories because this is such a decadent dish.
I use 2% milk.
So you can totally use low-fat, non-fat,
whatever you have.
I've done it with all of them, and it totally works.
So what is actually going
to make it creamy and thick is the flour.
So the flour is the great thickener here.
Now, we have to let this simmer
in order for it to do its thing
because you can see it's not very thick yet. (laughs)
So don't be concerned.
You wanna let it simmer for about five to seven minutes.
During that time, we can season.
So I am going to add two cloves of garlic, minced garlic.
Traditionally, you would probably add some grated nutmeg.
I like to add the garlic because I think it gives
what is a very simple sauce a lot more flavor.
We're also gonna add a little bit of salt,
two pinches or so to taste.
And definitely lots of freshly cracked pepper.
I think that's another thing
that makes bechamel sauce really delicious,
the cracked pepper.
Now, while we're waiting for this, we can cook our pasta.
So I'm using just dried fettuccine noodles.
I'm using about a half a pound,
which I think serves four people well,
especially once we add the chicken and the mushrooms.
So I don't really go overboard,
only because it's a pretty filling dinner.
You will see.
All right, this is good to go.
Once it looks like this, where it's thick enough,
where it's coating the back of a spoon,
then you know it's perfect.
Now, another thing you can do while you're waiting
for your pasta is grate your cheese.
So I have a wedge of Parmesan cheese here.
We are looking for a cup and a half.
So this is gonna go into the bechamel sauce,
and this is what is going to create that really delicious,
cheesy, decadent sauce.
I really like to use freshly grated
because I think you're gonna get the best flavor that way.
And it doesn't take that much time,
especially when you have a good paddle grater like this.
I love these. These things are great.
See, and look, I almost have a cup and a half right now.
Okay, so while you're waiting,
you can also add in the cheese.
So we wanna add the cheese into our sauce.
And you just wanna stir it around and melt it.
And at this point, if your sauce feels like it's too thick,
you could add a little splash of milk,
but I normally don't do that until I get a little bit closer
because when you drain the pasta,
sometimes you get a little water on the pasta,
and that also thins it as you toss it.
Then we can also add our mushrooms. In they go.
And then you can add your chicken.
Now, I may not add all the chicken.
You should probably eyeball it,
just because chicken breasts can come
in so many different sizes.
So I typically cook two, and then I kind of eyeball it.
And if I feel like it's enough,
then I just save it in my container,
and I use it throughout the week.
Okay, now our pasta is ready to go,
so we can just drain it and pop it in with our sauce.
And then we are just going to toss this delicious sauce
with the pasta.
And then to add a little freshness to our sauce,
I'm also gonna add two tablespoons
of freshly chopped parsley.
If you so desire,
you can also add a little bit of red pepper flakes
and some more freshly chopped parsley on top.
And there you have it!
I hope you guys give this one a try,
and let me know what you think.
Till then!
(gentle music)