Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo

Tonight's recipe is a tribute to my brother, Danny, because he loves Fettuccine Alfredo so much! As I mentioned in my first post, our Mom didn't cook a ton when we were growing up so I did some of my own cooking. I have always loved Alfredo sauce and I would make Fettuccine Alfredo quite a bit. (Not from scratch, from a box.) Danny would not eat any pasta with white sauce as a kid so I was constantly trying to trick him into trying it by saying something like, "Hey Danny, close your eyes and taste this!" He was and still is too smart for those antics and I don't remember if he ever fell for it. He'd have to remind me.

Anyway, long gone are the days when I would make Fettuccine from a box. I have tried many recipes and am still trying to master the perfect Alfredo sauce. I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe sites, Allrecipes.com. Here is the link to the original recipe: Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Again, I've modified it a bit.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. pasta, cooked according to package directions (I used bowtie)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 TB garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded 5 Cheese Italian Blend
• 1 TB Parsley Flakes

1. Marinate chicken in a little bit of olive oil and garlic.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain.
3. In a large skillet, brown chicken and mushrooms in butter until chicken is cooked through. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Add whipping cream and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add cheese and continue to stir until it is at desired consistency. Add Parsley and mix in. Serve over noodles. 

What I would change for next time: I think I would grill the chicken rather than fry it in a pan, saute the mushrooms with garlic until golden and then add the grilled chicken. The empty space on the plate would be where a salad would have gone but I forgot to make it ahead of time and then was too lazy to throw one together. Steamed or roasted broccoli would have been really good with this meal, which I might make along with it next time.